Today there are four methods to address MSW: source reduction, recycling, incineration, or landfill. Landfills throughout the country are closing or filling, and there is a growing reluctance for additional permitting of landfills.

Source reduction and recycling will continue to increase their contributions to the overall solution to MSW accumulation; however, MSW not addressed by those methods has historically not been cost-effective to utilize due to the organics and contamination present. According to IEA Bioenergy, landfilling waste produces approximately 154 pounds of methane per ton or a 100-yr global warming potential of 4312 pounds of CO2/ton.

Landfills range from 30-55% biodegradable and contribute 16% of global methane emissions annually. Our MSWagg™ process produces an estimated 56lbs of CO2/ton of organic matter, diverts useful plastics to efficient recycling. Louis Structures’ technology provides a cost-effective waste solution that simultaneously reduces the cost of construction projects. The only materials that cannot be accepted into the Louis Structures factories include hazardous waste and electronic waste (e-waste), which is already banned from most landfills. With optimization, Louis Structures’ process could potentially become a carbon-neutral process.

Currently, the only competitors for MSW disposal are incineration or landfilling. The only competitor in the light aggregate market are gravel pits. Neither are sustainable. Recycling companies manufacture fuel pellets, ethanol additives, or coal additive substitutes, while others incinerate waste, but more so, waste is primarily landfilled. Louis Structures approaches the problem of municipal solid waste with a “circular economy” mindset. As described by Gary Survis in his 2017 opening address at the Circular Economy conference, “this approach represents an incredible opportunity for business through disruptive innovation — in technology, manufacturing, supply chains, and business models, as well as in business culture and society at large.” The MSWagg™ production process is unique because it provides a complete solution for recycling the large, commingled waste stream.