Waste as a Resource: How Data and AI Cut Recycling Costs

Incineration in the Circular Economy

What is the value of knowing what's in your waste stream?

Wasteer founder Benedict von Spankeren talks about how data and AI improve profitability and prevent dangerous accidents for waste management companies.

What you'll hear in this episode: • The economic gap between recycling and waste-to-energy margins, and what this means for market entry and finding customers. • How dynamic pricing changes the business: moving away from flat fees and charging suppliers based on the actual energy value of their waste. • The difficulty of passing on carbon taxes, and why plants now need proof of exactly which supplier delivered what.

The episode also discusses the challenge of getting experienced crane operators to actually use new technology on the floor.

This is the third episode in "Incineration in the Circular Economy," a series sponsored by NEEW Ventures.

People Benedict von Spankeren, Founder at Wasteer https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedict-von-spankeren/

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/

Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:46 The Rest of the Rest 02:43 Founding Wasteer at New Ventures 05:57 Where Wasteer Stands Today 07:07 Waste Analysis and Steering 09:40 Waste as a Resource 11:07 Waste-to-Energy vs Recycling 13:34 Cultural Resistance and the 99% Myth 17:40 Transparency Down the Value Chain 19:26 Pricing, Gate Fees, and CO2 Taxation 24:35 Calculating the ROI 28:35 Outro

About WASTEER is a Berlin-based AI software company that helps waste treatment and energy-from-waste plants analyse incoming waste streams in real time. It uses camera and sensor data to detect contaminants, calculate waste composition and improve operational decisions so plants can run more safely and efficiently.

Its platform is built around digital tools for waste analysis, stream control and documentation, with the goal of reducing downtime, lowering costs and improving sustainability. WASTEER presents itself as a circular economy enabler by turning waste data into better material recovery, cleaner processes and more profitable plant operations.

Further Links https://www.neew-ventures.com/

https://www.eew-energyfromwaste.com/

https://www.wasteer.com/

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