Top waste industry processes compared to Circular Manufacturing across key performance metrics
| Metric | Landfilling | Waste-to-Energy | Traditional Recycling | Anaerobic Digestion | Composting | Circular Manufacturing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry Type | Disposal | Disposal + Energy | Sorting/Commodity | Biological Treatment | Biological Treatment | Advanced Manufacturing |
| Material Recovery | 0% | 0% | 30–60% | 15–25% (organics only) | 40–60% (organics) | 100% |
| Waste Generated | 100% | 25–30% (ash) | 40–60% (residuals) | 40–50% (digestate) | 40–60% (loss) | 0% |
| Product Types | None | 1 (electricity) | 4–5 (commodities) | 2 (biogas, digestate) | 1 (compost) | 150+ (industrial materials) |
| Cost to Public (per ton) | $55 | $105 | $110 | $55 | $20 | $0 |
| Industry Revenue (per ton) | $55 | $105 | $110 | $55 | $20 | $0 |
| Cost Offsets (per ton) | $0 | $25 | $35 | $15 | $5 | N/A |
| Net Public Cost (per ton) | $55 | $80 | $75 | $40 | $15 | $0 |
| Materials Revenue/Ton (to Public) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $537 |
| Product Value/Ton (to Industry) | $0 | $25 (electricity) | $35 (materials) | $15 (biogas/digestate) | $5 (compost) | N/A |
| Operating Margin | 15–25% (fees) | 15–25% | –10% to +15% | 10–25% | Negative | 25–35% |
| CAPEX/Ton Daily | $100K–150K | $300K–500K | $40K–80K | $150K–300K | $5K–10K | $600K–800K |
| Process Speed | N/A | Hours–days | Hours–days | 15–40 days | 60–90 days | Minutes–hours |
| Technical Disciplines | 25–30 | 45–55 | 15–25 | 18–28 | 5–8 | 171 |
| Quality Levels | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 (RevCon 0–5) |
| GHG Emissions | 1.1 MT CO₂e/ton | 0.4–0.8 MT CO₂e/ton | 0.1–0.3 MT CO₂e/ton | –0.1 to –0.3 MT CO₂e/ton | 0.2–0.4 MT CO₂e/ton | –2.5 MT CO₂e/ton |
| Innovation Rate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High (cutting-edge) |
• "–" indicates negative value (cost to dispose)
• "MT CO₂e/ton" = metric tons of CO₂-equivalent per ton processed
• "CAPEX" = capital expenditure required per ton of daily capacity
• "RevCon" = product quality classification in Circular Manufacturing (0-5 levels)
