The Business Of Trash | CNBC Marathon

CNBC

8 Jan 202459:33

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video explores the waste management industry, detailing how landfills and waste-to-energy facilities operate and turn profits. It also examines river cleanup systems tackling plastic pollution, the recycling and reuse of electric vehicle batteries, and a battery refurbishing company enabling the circular economy. Overall, the video investigates how waste can generate business opportunities while also threatening environmental sustainability.

Takeaways

😲 Modern landfills are engineering marvels designed to protect the environment and human health while managing waste
💰 Landfills make the majority of their revenue from tipping fees charged per ton of waste dumped
🌍 Over 2.97 million tons of plastic enter the oceans through rivers each year from improper waste management
💡 Trash 'wheels' and floating barriers capture waste in rivers before it reaches oceans
🔋 EV battery recycling is critical as millions of packs will soon reach end of life
👷‍♂️ Spiers New Technologies repairs, remanufactures and recycles faulty EV batteries
🔁 Reusing EV batteries reduces the need for new critical mineral mining
💵 EV battery recycling and reuse is becoming a profitable business
😥 The US remains one of the most wasteful developed countries, generating 239 million tons of garbage per year
👍🏻 Improving waste management infrastructure and public awareness is key to reducing pollution

Q & A

How much plastic enters the oceans through rivers each year?
-It is estimated that up to 2.97 million tons of plastic enters the oceans through rivers each year.
What percentage of plastic leakage into the oceans comes from middle income countries?
-Middle income countries like the Philippines, India and Malaysia contribute the most to oceanic waste, accounting for the grand majority of plastic pollution that ends up in the oceans.
How do trash wheels work to collect river waste?
-Trash wheels sit at the mouth of a river and use a V-shaped containment boom to funnel floating trash towards a conveyor belt, which lifts the trash out of the water and deposits it into a dumpster barge.
What is the average cost to install and operate a trash wheel?
-Installing a new trash wheel costs anywhere from $400,000 to $1.5 million, while operating costs vary widely from $18,000 to over $100,000 per year.
Why do companies like Amazon choose to burn returns instead of landfilling them?
-Companies like Amazon burn returns instead of landfilling to hide the evidence and avoid bad publicity from photos of their returned products in landfills. In some cases it is also the better financial choice.
How much methane do landfills emit compared to waste-to-energy facilities?
-Landfills emit six times more methane than waste-to-energy facilities, and methane has 86 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20 year timeframe.
What percentage of critical battery minerals need to be domestically sourced in EVs by 2024?
-Under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, 40% of critical battery minerals in EVs need to be domestically sourced or sourced from a free trade partner like Canada by 2024 to qualify for tax credits.
How many used battery packs does Spiers New Technologies handle per month?
-Spiers New Technologies handles an average of 15,000 used battery packs and modules per month.
What percentage of non-Tesla EV battery servicing does Spiers New Technologies handle?
-Spiers New Technologies handles 60-70% of non-Tesla EV battery servicing.
How long is the estimated lifetime reuse of an EV battery?
-The estimated reuse lifetime of an EV battery ranges widely from 5 to 30 years, with the average being 12-15 years in moderate climates.

Outlines

00:00

🗑️ The lucrative business of landfills

Paragraph 1 discusses how landfills are a profitable $229 billion industry by 2027. It explains how modern landfills are engineered to be sanitary while generating revenue from tipping fees charged per ton of waste dumped. The paragraph also introduces waste-to-energy facilities that burn trash to generate electricity.

05:02

💰 How landfills turn trash into cash

Paragraph 2 elaborates on how landfills collect tipping fees from trucks dropping off waste, a major revenue source. It analyzes trends in national and regional tipping fees over time. The paragraph also breaks down the high upfront infrastructure and long-term maintenance costs involved in operating landfills.

10:03

👷‍♂️⁠ Public vs private landfill ownership

Paragraph 3 weighs the pros and cons of public vs private landfill ownership. It suggests a hybrid model balances profit incentives with environmental sustainability. The paragraph also introduces landfill mining techniques to extract valuable reusable materials.

15:03

🔋 Waste-to-energy facilities

Paragraph 4 explores waste-to-energy facilities as an alternative to landfills. It analyzes the combustion process, emissions controls, and environmental impact compared to landfill methane emissions. The paragraph also examines economics and revenue sources for waste-to-energy.

20:05

😷 Health and environmental concerns

Paragraph 5 addresses health and pollution concerns around waste-to-energy facilities. It compares emission levels to coal plants and landfills. The paragraph emphasizes reducing waste generation as the ultimate solution.

25:07

🗺️ Global adoption of waste-to-energy

Paragraph 6 examines the much wider adoption of waste-to-energy in Europe/Asia compared to the U.S. It analyzes economic and land availability factors influencing choice of disposal method.

30:08

👕 Case study: Amazon return item disposal

Paragraph 7 explores how Amazon handles product returns, using energy recovery as a last resort for items that can't be resold, donated, or recycled. It weighs the costs and benefits of landfilling vs incineration.

35:11

🌊 Plastic pollution from rivers to oceans

Paragraph 8 explains how small urban rivers contribute more plastic pollution to oceans than previously thought. It introduces river cleanup devices from Ocean Cleanup, Clearwater Mills, and AlphaMERS.

40:13

😇 River cleanup technologies

Paragraph 9 details different river cleanup devices in use globally. It compares trash wheels, floating barriers, and conveyor belts. The paragraph also examines project funding models and emphasizes the need for behavior change.

45:15

💰 Incentivizing proper waste management

Paragraph 10 discusses ideas like cross-subsidization and pay-per-volume to fund waste management. It argues that desire for change must come from local communities first.

50:16

🔋 EV battery pack refurbishment

Paragraph 11 provides background on Spiers New Technologies, specializing in repairing, remanufacturing and recycling EV batteries. It details their process for extending battery pack lifespan and reducing need for new materials.

55:19

🔋 Global EV growth projections

Paragraph 12 analyzes expected exponential growth in EVs globally, examining factors like domestic mineral sourcing requirements and recycling capacity. It argues recycling will scale up gradually as more EVs reach end-of-life.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡waste management

Waste management refers to the systems and processes involved in handling waste, including collection, transport, treatment and disposal. It is a major theme in the video which discusses the waste management industry and landfill operations. For example, it states that by 2027, the waste management market is expected to be a $229 billion industry in the US.

💡landfill

A landfill is an area where waste is buried under layers of earth. The video explores modern, sanitary landfills which are engineered to protect the environment. It discusses how landfills generate revenue through tipping fees charged per ton of waste.

💡tipping fee

The tipping fee is the charge levied per ton of waste dumped at a landfill. It is described as the "lifeblood" of landfills and a major revenue source. Tipping fees average $53.72 per ton nationally but range from $30 to $85 per ton depending on location.

💡waste-to-energy

Waste-to-energy or energy recovery refers to facilities that burn waste to generate electricity instead of burying it. The video contrasts this method with landfills and states waste-to-energy is considered more eco-friendly.

💡river cleanup

The video discusses solutions like Baltimore's solar-powered trash wheels that remove waste from rivers before it reaches oceans. It states 2.97 million tons of plastic enter the oceans yearly from rivers.

💡battery recycling

With growth of electric vehicles, the video examines the need for recycling and reusing EV batteries instead of having them end up in landfills. It profiles Spiers New Technologies which repairs, remanufactures and recycles EV batteries.

💡circular economy

The concept of a circular economy with continuous reuse of resources is raised, with Spiers New Tech aiming to recycle critical battery minerals repeatedly, reducing the need for new mining.

💡consumer waste

The amount of waste generated by consumers is discussed as an issue, with the average American producing 1,600 lbs of garbage yearly. The video states society needs to reduce and reuse more even with improved waste management.

💡corporate responsibility

Companies like Amazon and Subaru adopting eco-friendly waste management practices is covered as an emerging Corporate Social Responsibility trend to reduce landfill usage through methods like waste-to-energy recovery.

💡waste collection

Waste collection refers to gathering and transporting waste like from households and businesses to treatment or disposal sites. The video examines how lacking collection infrastructure causes pollution issues in developing countries.

Highlights

The waste management industry is expected to grow to $229 billion by 2027.

Waste-to-energy facilities burn trash to generate electricity instead of burying it.

Modern landfills are civil engineering marvels designed to protect health and environment.

Tipping fees charged to trucks dropping off garbage act as the lifeblood for most landfills.

Private companies like Waste Management and Republic Services lead the solid waste industry.

Their stocks have doubled over 5 years as consumerism and housing growth expanded garbage.

Landfill mining reprocesses old landfills for metals and creates space for new trash and fees.

Landfills produce methane gas that can generate electricity, qualifying for subsidies.

Up to 2.97 million tons of plastic enter the oceans annually from rivers globally.

Solutions like Baltimore's solar-powered trash wheels intercept 30 tons of river trash monthly.

The Ocean Cleanup aims to solve the top 1,000 most polluting rivers to stop ocean plastic.

behavior change and reducing consumption are the ultimate solutions to the global waste crisis.

If EV battery recycling equals newly mined materials in cost, demand would be significant.

Oklahoma's SNT repairs, remanufactures and recycles 240,000 EV batteries monthly.

Recycled metals reduce need for new mining, moving toward circular economy and sustainability.

The auto industry works on 5-7 year cycles, so capacity building now anticipates future demand.

Transcripts

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