The Future of Waste Management: Trends & Technology

Tech is at the forefront of many of the current waste management trends, including the widespread adoption of waste analytics, IoT, and thermal desorption. While circular economy principles (including reducing, recycling, repurposing, and upcycling) are on the rise leading to increased demand for different kinds of sustainable waste management approaches.

Waste management technology trends

This year more and more companies and local authorities are adopting innovative technology to help with more efficient, safer disposal of waste. Let’s take a look at some of the top sustainable waste technologies for 2024.

Waste analytics

Waste analytics is a rising trend in the waste management space. Waste analytics involves collecting and analyzing waste data to better understand and support the essential components of waste management such as waste creation, composition, and disposal.

According to one report, 37 companies specialise in providing data-driven waste management solutions. While the sector is growing by 25.07% each year.

IoT

The internet of things (IoT) is another technology that’s trending in the waste management space. The IoT market is predicted to hit over £0.58 trillion in 2025, growing at a rate of 25.7%. IoT sensors are a key part of many waste management systems with many companies adding them to site machinery or vehicles to track real-time data.

Smart bins are a great example of IoT in action. Berg Insight predicts the number of smart waste bins in operation will hit 2.4 million by 2025. Smart waste bins use IoT sensors to assess how full waste bins are and efficiently identify and categorise waste. Smart bins help optimise waste collection, ensure councils avoid unnecessary rubbish pickups, and reduce overflowing bins.

AI and machine learning

Companies are using AI and machine learning more and more frequently to automate essential tasks. This area of waste management is predicted to show a 35.2% CAGR between 2024 and 2031.

Machine learning excels when it comes to enhancing waste sorting. Take recycling robots that efficiently and quickly classify and categorise recyclables, helping to cut back on contamination. While predictive analytics are helping to improve collection routes by identifying patterns such as traffic levels and waste dumping trends that can impact collection times and emission generation.

Smart waste management

The smart waste management sector is growing by 14.2% each year. Tech such as the IoT and machine learning are going a long way in helping to make waste management safer, greener, and more efficient.

See how our waste management software can help you digitalise your day-to-day management processes and help your waste management company benefit from data analytics. You can use Weighsoft's advanced tracking capabilities to monitor your fleet and containers in real-time using GPS, driver mobile tablets, and RFID or barcode technology.

The future of waste management technology

With a strong focus on AI, IoT, and the use of big data to make more efficient, cost-effective waste management decisions, the waste management field is set to continue to experiment with a range of different smart technologies to improve the efficiency of waste management.

Industrial waste makes up around 50% of all waste created globally. The industrial waste management industry is set to see growth of 6.20% from 2024 to 2031.  

Increase in the use of specialised treatments 

With the diversification of industries, waste has continued to become more complex. This has resulted in the industrial waste industry seeing increased demand for specialised treatment and disposal options. 

As a result, there has been an increase in the use of technological treatments such as: 

1. Anaerobic digestion: the use of microorganisms to break down organic materials (such as food) 
2. Plasma gasification: a thermal process that uses plasma to turn waste into slag (black glassy material) and syngas (a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) 
3. Advanced recycling: a chemical procedure that turns plastic waste into new plastic  

Increase in the use of waste-to-energy technologies 

As many industry verticals attempt to cut back on their energy consumption, there has been an escalation in the adoption of waste-to-energy technologies.  

Examples of these include thermochemical, biochemical, and incineration, all of which can be used to power industrial machinery with electricity and heat. In the last five years alone, more than 3,000 waste-to-energy businesses have been founded.  

The future of industrial waste management 

In recent years, there has been increasing pressure on companies to find new ways to dispose of industrial waste and demands are only set to increase in the years ahead. As a result, we predict that more and more companies will continue to adopt more innovative, sustainable waste management technologies such as plasma gasification.

Experts predict that the global construction and demolition waste management market will grow from £88.37 in 2024 to £124.36 by 2030. While the construction and demolition waste management market’s share currently sits at 29.99%, accounting for more than any other category of waste.

Let’s review the trends.

Urban mining

Urban mining, in which urban construction sites are mined for metals and concrete, is an accelerating trend in the construction waste management sector. A reflection of the sector’s push towards circular construction; in which materials are reduced, reused, and recycled. With zero transportation required, processing in mobile onsite machinery cuts emissions by 90%.

Despite increased interest in the practice, change is still slow.

Sustainable architect, Thomas Romm says:

“Deconstruction has only really been recognised in the last ten years. We’ve got to ask ourselves: “How can I construct a building today which I can easily deconstruct later?”. ​​Traditional construction practices are still very much engrained, despite sustainable methods consistently proving to be “cheaper, more affordable, and more cost-effective.”

Blockchain

Blockchain is another one to watch in the construction waste management space. Originally used to securely trade cryptocurrency between users, the blockchain is a decentralised digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers.

By assigning unique digital identities to construction materials, users can use the blockchain to track them across the lifecycle, from sourcing to disposal or recycling. This helps provide transparent insights into material use, minimising waste and promoting more sustainable practices including reuse and recycling.

The future of construction waste management

Despite long-standing habits, the construction industry is feeling the pull towards more sustainable practices.

When it comes to construction waste management, on-site urban mining and newer technologies like the blockchain are helping to encourage circular construction. While change may be slow, we should see the increasing adoption of more sustainable practices and tech over the next several years.

The hazardous waste market is estimated at £1.4 billion in 2024 and is predicted to reach a value of £4.91 billion by 2029. Let’s take a look at some of the top trends in this industry.

Increased focus on hazardous waste management in healthcare

There has been an increase in healthcare costs across the United States and Europe due to aging populations and the increasing expense of materials and treatment.

Healthcare providers must abide by strict waste management regulatory policies. As a result, there’s been an increased focus on waste generation and management in the healthcare sector. To cut costs, many hospitals and other healthcare organisations have begun to bring in outside experts to help them tackle medical waste management.

Disposal of “solid” hazardous waste has continued to dominate the market (in comparison to substances like gasses and liquids) in large part due to the need for medical hazardous waste disposal like syringes.

Tech innovations

Companies continue to invest in technologies to improve the safe, efficient, and sustainable removal of hazardous waste.

Local authorities continue to incinerate a large portion of hazardous waste, with 49.1% of all waste being disposed of in this way. Thermal desorption, in which heat is used to remove contaminants from solid waste, is also being pushed by the UK government. As the process requires less heat (under 400 degrees) than incineration it looks to be a promising sustainable approach to hazardous waste disposal.

The future of hazardous waste management

As the UK is predicted to continue to feel the strain of an aging population, healthcare costs and the demand for adequate hazardous waste management are predicted to continue to rise. The focus on solid hazardous waste management is predicted to continue to dominate the hazardous waste market, increasing demand for these services.

While government bodies and local authorities are set to continue to experiment with greener ways to dispose of hazardous waste such as thermal desorption.

Let’s explore some of the biggest sustainable waste management trends. By the end of 2024, experts predict that the waste recycling services market will grow from approximately £45.09 billion in 2023 to £48.23 billion.

Biodegradable packaging

Biodegradable packaging is continuing to pick up. The global compostable packaging market size sits at around £57.10 billion in 2023, while the market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2024 to 2030.

This rise is in part due to an increase in regulations looking to tackle single-use packaging (particularly single-use plastics). Take the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, which has banned the use of single-use plastics such as plates and cutlery.

Meanwhile, startups and researchers are continuing to propose more inventive forms of sustainable packaging such as onions.

Push forward with circular economy principles

The U.K. government is also continuing to push forward with the implementation of circular economy principles.

Take the Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP), in which manufacturers of packaging must report on and cover fees for packaging collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal. The legislation is set to come into effect on April 1st, 2025. For example, glass could cost up to £330 per tonne.

While Take-Back Schemes allow shoppers to return old electronics as they buy new ones at their local retailer. Furnishing retailer Dunelm and The Salvation Army have recently launched a textile Take-Back scheme that supports customers to recycle their textiles.

The future of sustainable waste management

With government legislation helping to shape and push the industry forward, the sustainable waste management industry continues to focus on reducing the use of single-use practices and promoting the recycling of unwanted materials.

These trends suggest circular economy and sustainability principles are becoming more and more embedded in wider societal infrastructure, raising the standard for waste management companies, businesses, and consumers alike.

The financial consequences of global food waste currently amount to £770 billion. With an increasing focus on sustainable practices, the food waste industry is finding new ways to tackle that.

Anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a new trend that uses microorganisms to break down and abstract nutrients and energy from food waste. This process is used to create renewable energy that energy providers can use to power homes and businesses.

Several weeks ago, ENGIE Group (ENGIE) set up a community consultation exploring their proposal to build an agricultural anaerobic digestion facility in High Catton. The plan aims to bring renewable energy to over 5,200 homes.

Upcycling

The upcycling food trend, in which food waste is turned into edible food, is another one to watch. More and more food brands are turning food wastage into nutritious snacks and meals. Pulp Pantry transforms the remnants of discarded veggie pulp and juice into fibre-filled crisps. 43% of consumers say they’re aware of upcycled foods, while 78% say sustainability and reduced carbon emissions are a huge benefit of the practice.

Bill Lynch, president of the Specialty Food Association, pinpointed upcycling as a key trend in 2024:

“A ​​movement that is huge and continuing to grow is around upcycled and upscaled, in which surplus or so-called “ugly” produce and food by-products are turned into new specialty delicacies, from dates to whiskey and beyond.”

The future of food waste management

Like many of our top trends on this list, the food waste management industry is heading towards a greener future. With the adoption of trends like upcycling and anaerobic digestion, the food waste industry is helping us repurpose, reuse and sustainably dispose of food waste.