Industrial composting, also known as commercial composting, is large-scale composting that handles high volumes of organic waste. It may collect yard waste from nurseries and landscaping companies and food waste from food processors. Typically, commercial composting uses one of three methods to encourage the growth of microorganisms which raise the temperature inside the compost pile and break down the organic matter over time:

  • Windrow composting, which arranges compost into long rows, often towering eight feet wide and up to 16 feet wide;   
  • Static piling, which stacks compost in loose layers and uses pipes to blow air in from beneath the pile (oxygen is needed for the decomposition process); and   
  • In-vessel composting, which uses anaerobic decomposition within hermetically sealed containers.

SUEZ is committed to the daily challenge of protecting the earth’s precious resources and ecosystems. We provide innovative commercial waste recovery and recycling solutions to businesses, providing unmatched expertise in some of the most complex recycling and solid waste systems.

What is SUEZ Recycling & Recovery?

Waste recovery and recycling services are part of a circular economy in which waste material is used as an input to create new products. Such services have multiple, interconnected benefits.

  1. Less waste is buried in landfills.
  2. Recovered resources reduce the need for raw materials used in manufacturing.
  3. This circular use of resources encourages the design and use of materials and products that will later be recovered and recycled.
  4. The use of recovered and recycled materials slows environmental degradation.

SUEZ-managed facilities are considered the most advanced in the world. We are able to:

  • Remove and recover recyclables.
  • Send non-hazardous organic waste to be composted and hazardous organics to be neutralized or destroyed.
  • Chemically and physically render inorganic liquids non-hazardous and store in a safe and monitored environment.

Industrial Waste Recycling Challenges

Commercial Waste Management Concerns

Each year, an additional 110 tons of waste end up in landfills across the United States and Canada. With an outdated and unsustainable landfill model, we are not only facing pollution on land, but also in our water. Canada’s annual per capita of waste produced is an alarming seven percent higher than the United States. Even though almost all Canadians have access to waste recycling solutions and a majority use it, high contamination rates and improperly sorted materials may be cancelling out the intended impact for recycling.

Industrial Waste Recycling Policies and Regulations

The industrial waste recycling industry has always faced challenges from stringent environmental policies, but in 2018, a new issue surfaced. Until then, China was consuming over 30 million tons of waste from all over the world and consuming 55 percent of the world’s scrap paper each year. To create a better domestic collection market, China launched its National Sword Policy. This set a much stricter standard for contamination levels and banned 24 types of solid waste — and massively disrupted North America’s multibillion-dollar recycling industry as a result. As industrial recycling programs are being impacted, businesses must find new markets to sell their materials to prevent them from going into landfills.

Lack of Employee Training

Recycling facilities are often affected by poorly trained workers who lack the knowledge of how to work complex machinery and keep it running. Without properly trained staff or consistent processes, waste recycling operations will underperform.
Business Benefits of SUEZ Industrial Recycling Solutions

SUEZ is an expert in different waste recovery and recycling methods tailored to support your business’ unique needs and meet the many challenges posed by materials and their conditions for reuse. Our sorting centers and waste recovery platforms use the latest technology to treat a wide variety of hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams, including:


  • Biowaste
  • Paper/cardboard
  • Plastic
  • Wood
  • Ferrous/non-ferrous metals
  • Waste electric and electronic equipment
  • Solvents
  • Oil
  • Infectious clinical waste and more.


In addition, we provide expertise in specialized “downstream” channels and sales networks for recovered waste. We have the expertise to ensure contamination rates are compliant with the latest regulations, and our network of dedicated experts can help maximize performance of industrial recycling programs.