The market

Waste catastrophe

We generate an unfathomable amount of waste, but thanks to the well-functioning waste logistics, the ordinary citizen does not usually fathom the scale of the problem. 98 % of all products purchased end up in the landfill 6 months after purchase. Every ton of manufactured goods requires 70 tons of raw materials. In practice, everything the factories of the world produce will be waste in a couple of months' time. The need to stop this development creates an unprecedented market opportunity.

Legislation

The EU directives decree a so-called waste hierarchy, which states that the primary goal is to prevent the generation of waste. Barring prevention, the waste should be repurposed as raw material, meaning recycled. Thermal recycling, meaning burning, is only the third option. The last and worst choice is to take the waste to a landfill. The EU legislation stipulates that by 2015 50 % of household waste must be reclaimed. It should not take long after this to prohibit the waste entering landfills altogether.

Raw materials shortage

The problem is not only a regulatory one. The raw materials are simply running out due to insufficient recycling, a fact already evident in their availability and price. In concrete terms, for example manganese, tungsten, and chrome are already running out. It is no longer sensible to bury expensive raw material in landfill, a practice still prevalent in most places.