From then to now

It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day, but sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and consider just how much things have changed over the years.

It wasn’t necessarily planned this way, but several feature stories in this issue of Waste Today offer varying perspectives on the evolution of the waste management industry from years past to today.

In the feature “In the mix,” Jeff Snyder, senior vice president for recycling and sustainability at Cincinnati-based Rumpke Waste & Recycling, walks readers through the planning process and technological advances at the company’s new Columbus, Ohio, material recovery facility. Snyder had a goal to add thermoformed clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers to the incoming material stream and be able to effectively isolate them from PET bottles. With the help of Machinex, the Canadian systems provider that custom-designed the facility’s sorting system, he achieved it.

In "Bringing compost to the curb," readers can learn about Black Earth Compost’s efforts to stay at the forefront of an evolution in the curbside collection of organics. The Massachusetts-based company grows its customer base by partnering with local towns, offering townwide contracts and paid subscriptions. Through these initiatives, Black Earth has signed on about 40,000 residential curbside customers and 1,000 to 2,000 commercial customers.

Waste Today spoke with Effram E. Kaplan, managing director and principal at Cleveland-based investment bank Brown Gibbons Lang & Co., to get a big-picture look at the evolution of the industrial waste market. In “Ample opportunity,” Kaplan describes a dynamic and growing industry filled with attractive investment opportunities.

Speaking of investment opportunities, as we gear up for Waste Today’s Corporate Growth Conference, scheduled for Nov. 20-21 at the Swissotel in Chicago, we asked Michael Castellarin and his team at Clairvest, a Toronto-based private equity firm, to provide an overview of the evolution of U.S. markets for debt and private equity capital. Find guidance tailored to entrepreneurs in the waste management industry in the feature "Growth catalysts."

Held each year, the Corporate Growth Conference provides attendees with a deep dive into capital markets and the environmental services industry. Join industry leaders and financial powerhouses for exclusive insights and high-impact networking. Registration is still open; visit www.WasteTodayEvents.com to reserve your seat.