02 — recycle
Advanced Solid Waste Management
Converting waste streams into energy, materials and value
Overview
Advanced Solid Waste Management (ASWM) encompasses the systematic collection, processing, valorisation and safe disposal of solid waste streams from municipal, industrial and construction sources. REC 2 approaches ASWM through a hierarchy of intervention — reduce, reuse, recover, recycle — deploying technologies that extract maximum value from waste before any residual material reaches landfill.
REC 2's ASWM thesis centres on three converging technologies: Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) for sorting and stabilising mixed municipal waste; thermal conversion — including pyrolysis and gasification — for energy recovery from non-recyclable fractions; and anaerobic digestion for organic waste, producing biogas for power and heat alongside nutrient-rich digestate for agriculture. Together these pathways can divert over 90% of incoming waste from landfill while generating clean energy and recovered materials.
Policy is a critical driver of ASWM economics. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are spreading across Asia, Africa and Latin America — shifting the cost of waste management to producers and creating guaranteed revenue streams for compliant recyclers. REC 2's policy engagement across these markets positions us ahead of regulatory mandates, securing first-mover advantage in waste infrastructure concessions.
Why REC 2 is investing here
01
Global solid waste generation will reach 3.4 billion tonnes annually by 2050. Waste-to-energy and materials recovery from ASWM is a $530B+ market growing at 6% CAGR, with the highest growth in emerging markets where REC 2 is already active.
02
EPR policy expansion is creating captive waste feedstock and compliance-driven revenue. REC 2's regulatory engagement across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa provides privileged access to concession opportunities before markets are competed.
03
ASWM integrates naturally with REC 2's energy and recycling verticals — biogas feeds into hybrid energy systems, recovered metals flow into our materials supply chains, and waste heat is captured via energy recycling infrastructure.
Key Applications
06 areas