Some technological advances that have transformed waste management include anaerobic digestion, which is one of the best ways to dispose of biological waste; conversion to energy, which not only disposes of waste but provides economic opportunity to waste management companies; zero waste technologies, which seek to repurpose all waste so that nothing is diverted to a landfill. Improvements to sorting technology have made it easier to sort out different types of waste for diversion as well (Capel, 2014)
In some ways, the waste management business is recession-proof, because most consumption (i.e. industry demand) is basically fixed (Steverman, 2008)
org/)." Myths About Recycling There are many critics who feel that "trash recycling is unnecessary, expensive, too much bother and ordinary citizens would never take the time to sort recyclable items from their trash (Denison)
"New Roman construction often relied on scavenged marble and other stone from the Empire, and the Coliseum served for centuries essentially as a quarry. Pottery -- the functional equivalent of today's glassware and plastic containers - was routinely ground up and reused to make new pottery (Horrigan)
Americans are trashing more beverage cans and bottles, among the easiest items to recycle. Recycling rates for both are the lowest they've been since the mid-1990s (Watson)
It is also critical as companies, organizations, municipalities, and governments move towards the reduction of their carbon footprints. The American Plastics Council points out that a significant percentage of the nation's energy consumption goes to the production of plastics (Anderson, 209)
Economic Segment. Demand for waste management services is resistant to downturns in the national economy (Alter, 2009)
provides residential, industrial, commercial and municipal waste management services. The company also partners with various municipalities to improve their recycling regimens and lengthen the useful lifespan of landfills (Bloom, 2004)
2). The organizational culture at Waste Management is also characterized by high levels of trust wherein all employees and others performing work on behalf of the company are "expected to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to their work activities and demonstrate ethical behavior on their decisions and interactions" (Demir et al
37). The strategic partnerships that now characterize efficient supply chains mean that supply chain partners operate collectively in their mutual best interests rather than solely from self-interest (Elmuti, 2009)
These trends are consistent with the efforts being made in the United States where recycling has become an increasingly popular alternative strategy for dealing with the growing solid waste disposal needs of many U.S. municipalities (Folz, 2008)
Socio-Cultural Segment. There is a growing movement among American consumers to recycle their municipal solid waste (Herndon, 2012)
In addition, disposable income for the municipal solid waste industry relates to the type of disposal methods that are employed. Municipal solid waste is either landfilled or recycled, including processes generate energy from these resources (Highfill & Mcasey, 2004)
15 Strategic Issue No. 2: Increase in Costs of Doing Business from New Regulations Between the 1950s and the 1980s, the majority of municipal solid waste in the United States was disposed of in landfills which were inexpensive, efficient and flexible in meeting the waste disposal needs of municipalities (Lisney & Riley, 2008)
Waste Management, Inc. was named one of the top 100 employers in the United States for minorities (Major, 2010)
308). In addition, there is also growing competition between municipalities and regions to provide waste management services (McDavid, 2000)
In fact, the company continues to make investments in technologies and resources that will help it remain flexible in the face of changing industry standards and consumer preferences for waste disposal services. For example, Waste Management recently implemented a program known as "Workout" that was developed by Chicago-based Leap Technologies (Minter, 2008)
26). A growing number of companies of all sizes and types have found that reducing the number of supply chain partners to the maximum extent possible improves their efficiency and profitability (Mudambi & Ricketts, 1998)
4 Financial analysis. Waste Management, headquartered in Houston, is financially healthy as the largest waste disposal company in North America (Roberts, 2009)
Political/Legal Segment. Beginning the early 1990s, the federal government began implementing more stringent regulatory guidance concerning conventional solid waste disposal methods that increased the costs of doing business between five- and ten-fold (Tiller & Jakus, 2005)