There’s no question that many successful, profitable businesses are also in the business of waste. While many are working toward eliminating this waste all together, the more immediate question becomes how can businesses profit from this waste? There are numerous opportunities for businesses in recycling and reusing materials before they become landfill, but there’s no reason why companies can’t look at their waste as additional revenue stream, possibly to help fund their transition to sustainability.
Brands like Worn Again make new shoes out of recycled and reused materials.
Rent A Green Box has created a ground-breaking business designed to move your home and office responsibly.
eCycle Group makes money from collecting used ink cartridges and cell phones.
Roost makes picture frames, bowls, and other home furnishings out of discarded materials.
eHow.com shows people how to make patchwork quilts from old T-shirts.
Swap-O-Rama is an event that invites people to sew new fashions from old ones. (By the way, this could be a brilliant retail store concept.)
The Freecycle Network allows people to give away items that other people need.
Studio Aisslinger makes bookshelves from used books.
These are only a few of the hundreds of companies we have found that have seized an opportunity to make a profit out of other people’s waste. But why haven’t companies creating this waste seized the opportunity to profit from their own waste?
Granted, this is not a long-term solution to creating waste in the first place, but it’s got to be better than simply buying carbon credits or trying to donate guilt away. In other words, everyone can do more to keep existing products out of our landfills and profit from it at the same time.
What businesses out there could give one more life to a resource before it ultimately ends up in our landfill? Try starting with your own.
  
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