Opportunity
Solution
Mid-Atlantic Recycling, LLC’’s main business is to collect, compile, and market municipal waste. This waste can then be used as a consumer good. This product will fulfill two crucial needs:
- It will provide municipalities with an economical and viable alternative to landfilling waste.
- It will also help to meet the growing demand organic soil enrichers and fertilizers. The material that will be recycled is human waste sludge.
Market
Our products and services will be of benefit to both end customers in our supply chain. By having an alternative way of disposing of their waste, municipalities will be able to benefit. The compost product can also be beneficial for homeowners, landscaping professionals, landscapers or fertilizer manufacturers. There are two primary market segments for our compost product: the waste treatment facilities that will benefit and the consumers who will be benefited by our products.
According to the Worldwatch Institute, landfills are overflowing while disposal costs for sewage and garbage are rising. City leaders can relieve over extended municipal budgets, prevent the contamination of drinking water, and help farmers build healthier soils by recycling garbage and human waste back to farms. The average time it takes for a state to empty its landfills is six years. (Paper 135) Recycling organic waste: From urban pollution to farm resource. We offer a service where municipalities can dispose off their waste without it needing to be disposed of anywhere. This service is of great benefit to the customer.
The end users of our compost are at the other end. According to Cornell University (www.cals.cornell.edu/dept/compost.feas.study.html) composting is experiencing a resurgence of activity which is driven by increased understanding of the agronomic benefits of compost utilization, and rising disposal costs for municipal wastes. Also, according to Purdue University (www.ctic.purdue.edu/Core4/Nutrient/ManureMgt/Paper35.html) consumption of compost in the commercial market is growing due to people looking for a more organic or natural substitute for traditional chemical fertilizers. This is a growing trend in the Mid-Atlantic USA. Recycling is a key part of this response. We will initially concentrate on selling compost directly to gardeners, nurseries and fertilizer companies. A fertilizer manufacturer and landscaper have already committed to purchasing 600 tons or more of our compost material each year.
Five major market segments for compost have been identified:
- Agriculture (for food and other crops, as well as sod farms).
- Landscapers: For industrial and commercial properties; for golf courses, cemeteries, or athletic fields; as well as landfill covers and to repair soils.
- Nurseries (for planting or forest seedling crops, and reforestation project).
- Public agencies (for highway median stripes, parks and recreational areas, as well as other public property).
- Residents (for home landscaping or gardening).
Concurrence
Our service is an alternative to traditional methods of disposing human waste. Our product is a soil enhancer with value that appeals to consumers’ growing environmental consciousness. Direct competition is almost nonexistent. We are determined to be the most economical and logical choice for human and animal waste disposal and compost production in West Virginia, and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Expectations
Forecast
The following will provide the start-up financing: Owner equity investment in the form of a loan through the Regional Council of Governments Revolving Loan Fund. This loan is secured by real estate assets. The Regional Revolving Loan Fund is an economic development fund sponsored by three West Virginia counties: Mercer, Greenbrier, and Monroe.
Financial Highlights by Year
Financing Required
We will get nearly $1,000,000 loan from two sources. The loan amount is $850,000 based upon our assets and the owner’s $150,000.