The waste management industry is shifting away from disposal-centric models towards resource recovery ecosystems. The competitive edge is now defined by the efficiency of materials’ movement through the network. 

With the EU targeting a 90% reduction in municipal waste by 2035, organizations need to redesign their end-to-end processes and material recovery facilities (MRFs) to achieve maximum circularity and deliver high-quality, consistent feedstock for downstream recycling. Major barriers that need to be addressed here are

• Outdated Asset-centric Approach: The asset-by-asset investment approach is no longer working. Network dynamics are now determining the economics of waste infrastructure. 
• Risk of Stranded MRFs: The size of existing MRFs is proportional to present contamination rates, but as collection systems evolve, they face risk of being underutilized and eventually stranded.  
• Diversion-target Gaps: Tightening diversion and landfill mandates are setting new targets, but most operators lack a phased approach to them. Most capacity, collection, and capital decisions are disconnected from the targets they are meant to serve. 
• Material Flows Inefficiencies: Limited transparency of regional waste movements is resulting in underutilized assets, capacity mismatches, and increasing operational costs. 

Strategic focus now needs to shift to genuine capacity shortages, sizing of MRF investments as per future demands, strategic relevance of landfill and incineration assets, and value-based redesigning of supply chains and transfer stations. 

We are helping investors, waste operators, and other stakeholders improve their recovery economics, reduce stranded capital risks, and strengthen their overall network performance through catchment analysis and capacity optimization roadmaps and diversion pathway designs.