Reduce waste. Cut emissions. Recover more value.

Advetec’s biotechnology helps waste operators reduce the environmental impact of residual and non-recyclable waste. By reducing waste mass on site and diverting material from landfill, our systems support lower greenhouse gas emissions, fewer transport movements and greater resource recovery.

Where suitable, treated outputs can be further processed to recover recyclable materials or used as feedstock for renewable energy applications, helping organisations move closer to their circular economy and decarbonisation goals.

The opportunity within residual waste

Graphic illustrating the potential impact of recovering 5% of the UK's mixed residual waste through higher-value recovery pathways.

Every year, millions of tonnes of residual waste containing organic material are sent to landfill or low-level incineration, representing a significant loss of valuable resources.

In the UK alone, around 14.8 million tonnes of commercial and industrial mixed residual waste, along with almost 500,000 tonnes of other organic-rich, non-recyclable waste streams, are managed through disposal routes rather than higher-value recovery options.

Advetec biotechnology helps waste operators unlock more value from these materials. By reducing the organic content of residual waste, our systems can enable further resource recovery, including the recovery of recyclable fractions and, where appropriate, the production of Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) for renewable energy applications.

Imagine if just 5% of this material was diverted into higher-value recovery pathways. The environmental benefits could include preventing more than 300,000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions and avoiding the extraction of almost 200,000 tonnes of coal if the output was used as an SRF.

Advetec Biotechnology

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation

Further recycling

Potential for further segregation and recycling of these waste streams

Cut methane emissions

Stops methane emissions when post-process material is disposed at landfill

Reduce amount of non-recyclable waste

Reduces the mass and volume of non-recyclable waste material

Reduction in costs for transportation, landfill tonnage as well as lower offtake prices for the output as SRF

Reduce use of fossil fuels

Reduces the use of virgin fossil fuels such as coal in the energy-intensive industries when output is used as SRF

Moving waste up the thermal hierarchy

The more value that can be recovered from waste, the higher it moves up the thermal hierarchy. Every step upwards represents an opportunity to reduce reliance on disposal, recover more resources and support a more circular economy.

Advetec biotechnology helps unlock that progression by reducing the organic content of residual waste and creating opportunities for higher-value recovery.

For example:

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) recovers energy from residual waste that would otherwise be disposed of.
SRF offers a higher-quality fuel that can replace primary fossil fuels in energy-intensive industries such as cement manufacturing.
Future recovery pathways may enable additional recyclable materials or valuable chemical components to be recovered from treated waste, further increasing its value.

Through continuous research and development, Advetec is expanding the opportunities to recover more from residual waste and helping customers move waste further up the recovery hierarchy.

Research and development

Unlocking more value from waste

Advetec’s biotechnology combines naturally occurring biological processes with advanced engineering to rethink how residual waste is managed.

Inspired by the principles of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), our modular technology enables waste operators to reduce waste mass, recover valuable resources and improve environmental outcomes without the need for large-scale infrastructure.

Our research and development programme continues to expand the waste streams we can treat, helping customers unlock greater value from materials that would otherwise be destined for disposal.

Floc produced using Advetec's advanced biotechnology alongside a circular economy icon, representing the recovery of value from residual waste.

Supporting the transition to a circular economy

A fully circular economy won’t be achieved overnight. It will be built through practical innovations that help organisations recover more value from the waste they already manage and reduce reliance on disposal.

Advetec biotechnology supports that transition by reducing the organic content of non-recyclable waste streams and enabling higher-value recovery. Depending on the material, this can include recovering recyclable fractions, producing feedstock for renewable energy or creating new opportunities for future resource recovery as technologies continue to evolve.

By helping waste operators recover more and dispose of less, we are supporting a shift away from the traditional linear model of take, make and dispose. Every improvement in resource recovery reduces waste, lowers emissions and brings the waste industry one step closer to a more circular future.

While no single technology can achieve a circular economy on its own, practical solutions that unlock more value from existing waste streams have an important role to play in accelerating the transition.

Rethinking what’s possible with waste

The future of waste management isn’t just about disposing of waste more efficiently, it’s about recovering more value from every tonne processed.

Transforming the way we think about waste

Our biotechnology has been designed to work alongside existing waste operations, reducing the organic fraction within residual waste to unlock opportunities for further resource recovery. Depending on the waste stream, this can include recovering recyclable materials that were previously inaccessible or producing feedstock for renewable energy applications.

By helping customers recover more and dispose of less, Advetec supports both operational performance and measurable environmental outcomes.

Read our case studies here