Waste Management Services
Description
Companies in this industry collect, treat, and dispose of garbage and other waste materials; and recover reusable materials through recycling. Additionally, companies provide remediation services for decontaminating buildings, mine sites, soil, or groundwater. Major companies include Republic Services and WM (both based in the US), as well as SUEZ and Veolia (both based in France), and Waste Connections (Canada).
The global waste and recycling industry collects more than 11 billion tons of solid waste, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The waste management services industry is largest in developed nations that consume more resources and generate more waste.
The US waste management industry includes about 25,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $100 billion.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand depends on the volume of waste generated, which depends on economic conditions and consumer spending. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations, because the service is a commodity sold based on price. Big companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing equipment and establishing networks of facilities. Small companies can compete successfully by offering specialized services or serving local markets. The US industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for about half of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Collection services (residential and non-residential) or non-hazardous materials account for about 50% of the US industry revenue; followed by disposal services (about 10%) and site remediation services (about 10%). Other services also include consolidation, storage, and preparation services. Small companies usually operate in only one of these segments. Larger companies often have vertically integrated operations that include all of these components. Small companies usually operate in only one of these segments. Larger companies often have vertically integrated operations that include all of these components.
Waste management involves primarily the collection, transfer, and disposal in landfills of nonhazardous, municipal solid waste, which consists of everyday items like product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, and batteries. Companies may also handle and treat hazardous, low-level radioactive and liquid wastes. The business is conceptually simple: trash is collected from businesses, industrial sites, and residences, and is buried, burned, or recycled. Trash is usually collected from commercial sites using either small (1 to 8 cubic yards) steel containers that are mechanically emptied into collection trucks, or large (20 to 40 cubic yards) "roll-off" containers that are loaded onto a special truck and hauled away. Residential collection is mainly done with back-end or side-arm loading trucks.
Municipal solid waste in 2018 was about 290 million tons or 4.9 pounds per person per day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Local and regional factors, such as climate and level of commercial activity, contribute to these variations. Altogether, US homes, businesses, and institutions produce more than 260 million tons of solid waste per year, about 4.9 pounds of waste per person per day.
Recycling and material recovery are a major part of waste management. Recycling is collection and disposal of commodity items like paper, cardboard, newspaper, glass, plastic, and metal cans that have been sorted out of the waste stream. Materials recovery involves separating recyclable items from collected waste, usually by manually picking through a waste stream on a conveyor belt. Recycling collection is frequently part of commercial and residential waste collection, but may be charged for separately. About 75% of the US population has access to curbside recyclables collection programs. Recyclables are sold to purchasers at prices that can fluctuate wildly, depending on demand. Waste management companies usually insulate themselves from price fluctuations by passing profits or losses from sales to the original customer. About 30% of solid waste is recovered through recycling or composting.
Because landfills are often located at a significant distance from many cities, companies operate transfer stations, where waste is received from various trash collectors, compacted, and hauled to landfills in special trailers. Operators charge fees based on the type and volume of trash received and the distance to the landfill. Recycling and materials recovery operations are often located alongside transfer stations.
Modern landfills are technologically very different from the town dumps that used to exist in every city. Landfills usually have a clay liner on the bottom and sides to prevent waste from leaching into the local water table. Wastes are spread, compacted, and covered with earth daily. Monitoring devices detect leakage, and piping systems vent the methane gas created by organic decomposition. Full landfills are capped and may eventually be used for other purposes such as parks. For hazardous material landfills, the design, operation, and post-closure requirements are more stringent. Landfill operators usually own the landfill, but sometimes operate them for a municipal owner for a fee. The eventual closure costs of a nonhazardous landfill involve monitoring and possible repair for up to 30 years, while monitoring responsibilities for hazardous and radioactive sites last much longer. Approximately 1,900 municipal solid waste landfills exist in the US, mostly in the South (more than 650) and West (more than 700), primarily due to the regions' population growth.
Remediation involves services such as the cleaning of crude oil spills and ground contamination, removal of asbestos and lead paint, and restoration of strip-mined areas.
Handling and disposing of hazardous (usually liquid chemicals); low-level radioactive (high-level radioactive wastes are handled by the federal government); and other liquid wastes are technologically complex and expensive, often involving chemical treatment to separate the toxic components. Some hazardous wastes, such as refinery waste, can be recycled. In most cases, treated hazardous wastes are disposed of at landfills or incineration facilities or injected into geological repositories or deep wells that are geologically isolated from the water table.
The global waste and recycling industry collects more than 11 billion tons of solid waste, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The waste management services industry is largest in developed nations that consume more resources and generate more waste.
The US waste management industry includes about 25,000 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $100 billion.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand depends on the volume of waste generated, which depends on economic conditions and consumer spending. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations, because the service is a commodity sold based on price. Big companies enjoy economies of scale in purchasing equipment and establishing networks of facilities. Small companies can compete successfully by offering specialized services or serving local markets. The US industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for about half of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Collection services (residential and non-residential) or non-hazardous materials account for about 50% of the US industry revenue; followed by disposal services (about 10%) and site remediation services (about 10%). Other services also include consolidation, storage, and preparation services. Small companies usually operate in only one of these segments. Larger companies often have vertically integrated operations that include all of these components. Small companies usually operate in only one of these segments. Larger companies often have vertically integrated operations that include all of these components.
Waste management involves primarily the collection, transfer, and disposal in landfills of nonhazardous, municipal solid waste, which consists of everyday items like product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, and batteries. Companies may also handle and treat hazardous, low-level radioactive and liquid wastes. The business is conceptually simple: trash is collected from businesses, industrial sites, and residences, and is buried, burned, or recycled. Trash is usually collected from commercial sites using either small (1 to 8 cubic yards) steel containers that are mechanically emptied into collection trucks, or large (20 to 40 cubic yards) "roll-off" containers that are loaded onto a special truck and hauled away. Residential collection is mainly done with back-end or side-arm loading trucks.
Municipal solid waste in 2018 was about 290 million tons or 4.9 pounds per person per day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Local and regional factors, such as climate and level of commercial activity, contribute to these variations. Altogether, US homes, businesses, and institutions produce more than 260 million tons of solid waste per year, about 4.9 pounds of waste per person per day.
Recycling and material recovery are a major part of waste management. Recycling is collection and disposal of commodity items like paper, cardboard, newspaper, glass, plastic, and metal cans that have been sorted out of the waste stream. Materials recovery involves separating recyclable items from collected waste, usually by manually picking through a waste stream on a conveyor belt. Recycling collection is frequently part of commercial and residential waste collection, but may be charged for separately. About 75% of the US population has access to curbside recyclables collection programs. Recyclables are sold to purchasers at prices that can fluctuate wildly, depending on demand. Waste management companies usually insulate themselves from price fluctuations by passing profits or losses from sales to the original customer. About 30% of solid waste is recovered through recycling or composting.
Because landfills are often located at a significant distance from many cities, companies operate transfer stations, where waste is received from various trash collectors, compacted, and hauled to landfills in special trailers. Operators charge fees based on the type and volume of trash received and the distance to the landfill. Recycling and materials recovery operations are often located alongside transfer stations.
Modern landfills are technologically very different from the town dumps that used to exist in every city. Landfills usually have a clay liner on the bottom and sides to prevent waste from leaching into the local water table. Wastes are spread, compacted, and covered with earth daily. Monitoring devices detect leakage, and piping systems vent the methane gas created by organic decomposition. Full landfills are capped and may eventually be used for other purposes such as parks. For hazardous material landfills, the design, operation, and post-closure requirements are more stringent. Landfill operators usually own the landfill, but sometimes operate them for a municipal owner for a fee. The eventual closure costs of a nonhazardous landfill involve monitoring and possible repair for up to 30 years, while monitoring responsibilities for hazardous and radioactive sites last much longer. Approximately 1,900 municipal solid waste landfills exist in the US, mostly in the South (more than 650) and West (more than 700), primarily due to the regions' population growth.
Remediation involves services such as the cleaning of crude oil spills and ground contamination, removal of asbestos and lead paint, and restoration of strip-mined areas.
Handling and disposing of hazardous (usually liquid chemicals); low-level radioactive (high-level radioactive wastes are handled by the federal government); and other liquid wastes are technologically complex and expensive, often involving chemical treatment to separate the toxic components. Some hazardous wastes, such as refinery waste, can be recycled. In most cases, treated hazardous wastes are disposed of at landfills or incineration facilities or injected into geological repositories or deep wells that are geologically isolated from the water table.
Table of Contents
- Industry Overview
- Quarterly Industry Update
- Business Challenges
- Business Trends
- Industry Opportunities
- Call Preparation Questions
- Financial Information
- Industry Forecast
- Web Links and Acronyms
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