Innovation in Waste Management- Why does it matter?
What purpose does waste serve? Think about it. Waste is something that is not wanted or needed and holds no economic value, so we dispose of it. Did you know though, that companies have been doing the exact same thing only from a differing perspective? In actuality, companies have been getting rid of (really, eliminating) waste from their supply chains, manufacturing processes, and business models for decades. The difference is that now companies and consumers are beginning to adopt a similar definition of “waste” and both groups are looking for ways to not produce that waste in the first place.
What’s this common definition of waste? Well, essentially it means some action or result that doesn’t contribute to bottom-line, and companies generally call this elimination exercise “lean”. On the other hand, consumers are eliminating waste but calling it the zero-waste. What’s interesting is that both groups are essentially perusing the same goal, just under different terms. Meaning that the term “waste” is now being applied to;
- Excess packaging from their products
- Scrape not ultimately sold off
- Or unneeded labeling
Some brands are even going as far as to build partnerships with other companies to provide them with feedstocks that come from their partner’s “waste”. Effectively turning one company’s scrap into their partner’s raw material. -whereby both brands profit.
In a similar fashion, consumers are beginning to remove things from their lives that can’t be reused or sold back to someone else at a similar cost-effective price. Meaning, more consumers are buying products that are rented rather than sold outright. So, in every way, shape, and form brands and consumers are becoming far more aggressive and thoughtful, not just in how they design products, and how they use products, but how they design reuse into their products to maximize the value return of everything that is in their possession.
How Does Municipal Waste Fit into Zero-Waste?
Within the last 15 years, the ideology of “zero waste” has gained traction. American’s and city officials are doing their part to reduce waste and keep garbage out of landfills.
You might be wondering what will happen to municipal waste when lean and zero-waste principals influence the amount of garbage being produced. The answer it that the waste management industry is likely going to transform into a resource management industry. Meaning waste managers will be more focused on harvesting value from municipal waste and brokering partnerships with manufactures to resell the raw materials they process.
How The BurCell System Contributes to Sustainability
At Synergy BurCell Technologies, we strive to reclaim value from municipal waste. We do this with our BurCell system, which processes municipal waste into feedstocks for compost, anerobic digestion processors, and recyclers.
We love what we do because we provide another alternative for waste disposal, which just so happens to also enable our partners to produce products at a higher margin or it gives them another profit center that we’d consider future-proof.
What Happens to Waste In The BurCell System?
Waste is first brought to our facility or a BurCell enabled site. Our tools then separate any large and bulky items that could interrupt the process or harm the system.
After the separation takes place, the materials are then moved onto a shredder. The shredding process is intended to increase the surface area of the material and the amount the system can process in one batch. Once the material is shredded, and the capacity is bulked up, it’s then ready to load into the BurCell System.
Once the system is full and ready to go, one of our team members adds water and heat, and draws a vacuum to begin the operating cycle. At this point, the BurCell System will continue to rotate to break down organic waste at a quick pace.
Once the waste is broken down, the material is loaded onto another conveyer where the inorganic components, including metal, glass, and plastic, are separated from the organic biproducts for the anaerobic digestor or composter.
Are You A Good Fit to Use Our Tech?
Well it depends. Our partners are typically waste haulers or waste managers who are looking to innovate and while adding a new revenue stream to their business model. Some of them have tried recycling efforts in the past and not found it successful, but while working with our team they find that the transformation process is easy and doesn’t take a lot of time to setup. They also find that the BurCell System’s outputs are easily resold to partners which we can help you find via our partner network. Lastly, they find that our pilots or proofs of concept (POC) are affordable and the capital needed to complete a POC is manageable.
So, while there are barriers to becoming a client and joining our partner program, we’ll have an account partner assigned to you to help ensure the journey together is smooth, productive, and profitable for your business.
Next Steps? The BurCell System
If you found this article or it’s ideas interesting, or would like to learn more about our partner program or how you can get involved, be sure to contact us via the contact form on our site or reach out to us on LinkedIn. We’ll be happy to answer your questions, visit your facility to help you plan for the inevitability of lean and zero-waste, and help you design a proof of concept to use the BurCell System.
It’s time we put our waste to a greater use.
Again, to learn more about our system and how it works, or to schedule a demo, check out our latest blogs or contact our team today! Together we can make a difference.