Cleveland 5/6/2011 3:18:18 AM
News / Business

Waste Management Revenues to Exceed $100 Billion in 2015

Waste management and remediation revenues are projected to advance 4.4 percent annually to more than $100 billion in 2015.  Growth in revenues will result from increasing population and projected economic expansion, which will spur new business formation, renewed construction activity and improved activity across the broader economy, all of which will lead to an increase in the amount of waste generated.  Stricter environmental regulations at both the federal and state levels and increasing adoption of recycling programs will also lead to growth in revenues.  Moderating influences will include “zero waste” and other source reduction initiatives throughout the industrial economy.  These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Waste Management & Remediation Services, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Waste collection, which accounted for 58 percent of revenues in 2010, will continue to be the largest contributor to industry revenues, reflecting increasing waste generation volumes and rising fuel and labor costs.  The vast majority of this waste is generated by individuals and is collected by either government employees or third party contractors.  The shift to the latter will continue, as government entities continue to privatize government functions, including waste collection.  Waste collection revenues will increase 4.1 percent annually to $58.5 billion in 2015.

Waste treatment and disposal revenues are projected to increase 3.0 percent annually to $19.2 billion in 2015.  This below-average growth potential will primarily reflect an increasing emphasis on waste diversion, as both governments and waste service providers recognize the value in diverting waste away from disposal and into recycling and other material recovery options. 

Remediation revenues are forecast to increase 5.9 percent annually to $19.2 billion in 2015.  Revenue growth will be spurred by increasingly strict environmental regulations governing the remediation of industrial “brownfields,” as well as continued removal or encapsulation of such toxic substances as lead paint, asbestos and mold in both residential and nonresidential structures. Material recovery and other waste management services revenue growth will result from increasing adoption of recycling programs and the expansion of material recovery services into materials other than traditional recycled materials. 

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.