Recycling of solid household waste has become an increasingly promising business in recent years. Just two or three years ago, this business was less profitable than taking waste to landfills or recycling recyclables, but a lot has changed since then.
Waste recycling in Russia: prospects
For nature and society, the problem of waste recycling is very acute. Russia has accumulated 3 billion tons of waste that requires disposal. This amount increases every year by 60 million tons. Approximately 96% of MSW (municipal solid waste) is still sent to landfills. Of this amount, at least 60% can and should be recycled for the reason that these are valuable recyclable materials: glass, paper, cardboard, metal, polymers, etc. Here is some data for Moscow: last year, out of 3 million tons of solid waste, only 1% was recycled.
But the situation was the same five and ten years ago. What makes waste recycling a promising type of small business right now?
- Inexpensive domestic equipment of low and medium productivity has appeared on the market. Sorting complex
- More and more small industries for processing recyclable materials are appearing. This expands the sales market.
- and lastly, the Ministry of Natural Resources has long been planning a ban on burning recyclable waste. When such a ban is introduced, sorting will become even more profitable and have no alternative.
In your particular region, the situation may have its own nuances that require elaboration. But we can absolutely say that in any city in the country a small solid waste processing line will pay for itself in about a year and a half.
Garbage collection: problems and ideas
What's in the average trash can? Half of its contents are polymers: polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene. Another quarter is food waste. Up to 10% - paper and cardboard. The remaining 15 - 20% is rubber, metal, textiles, etc. As you can see, at least 60% of household waste can be recycled. But this is in theory. In practice, separate collection of solid waste, which is common in many European countries and Japan, is a distant matter for us. And from unseparated waste, using modern recycling lines, only 25% of recyclables can be recovered. Although some cities are installing containers for sorting waste, such initiatives have not yet brought real benefits. Therefore, businessmen involved in the disposal of solid waste have to provide themselves with raw materials themselves, by sorting them in special installations.
Where is the best place for such a business? Of course, close to the source of waste, that is, a landfill. It could also be an industrial zone near the city. You can buy special mobile processing plants and move production from one meta to another. This is relevant, for example, for the disposal of construction waste.
Sorting installations can be either manual or automated. Their cost ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
Waste recycling business plan
Let's illustrate the idea with an indicative business plan. It’s good if there is an opportunity to attract investments in the amount of $20 million. That’s how much a full-cycle solid waste processing plant is valued at. But if this is not possible, then start recycling one of the types of waste.
Equipment: Exactly what you need depends on the type of raw material you choose for processing. But you almost certainly will not do without: a sorting line, a crusher, a magnet, a storage unit and a press. A melting furnace would also be useful. Let's assume that the cost of the equipment is $60,000.
Premises: 100 sq. m required. for warehouses and not less than 600 sq. m. for production. To ensure that the premises meet sanitary and fire safety requirements, be prepared to invest another $2,000 - $3,000.
Staff: Recycling waste is a labor-intensive process. Your production may employ up to 40 workers. Salary – $300 per month.
Practice shows that utility costs in such production will be 20%.
Receiving from 400 to 1400 dollars per ton of processed raw materials, minus all expenses, it is possible to have a net profit of 10 thousand. dollars. In this case, your business will show 50% profitability and will pay off within a few minutes.
Permits
The main document required to open a waste sorting business is a license, which is issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources. To do this, your line must undergo an environmental assessment. It is carried out by the local (city or regional) environmental management department. Based on the results of the examination, a conclusion is issued (positive or negative). The conclusion is issued once for the entire period of operation of the enterprise.
To obtain a license, you will need to obtain permission in advance from the fire inspection and SES, utilities and water services, and provide a project with a detailed description of the technical process. Preparation of a package of documents can take up to six months.
Every year you need to obtain permission from the ministry to store solid waste on the territory.
There are usually no problems with permission to open a business from local authorities. Such enterprises are welcome.
Tire recycling
Tires can be disposed of in one of three ways:
- crushing into crumbs. This is the most common and simplest method. Crushed rubber is used as a filler for soft street surfaces, for example, for children's and sports fields. Tires are also crushed for easy transportation for subsequent pyrolysis.
- burning. The method is unacceptable from an environmental point of view and is not suitable for small businesses, but is still used, for example, in heating plants.
- pyrolysis. This is the most promising method and an excellent topic for a medium or small enterprise. Pyrolysis (depolymerization) is a method of decomposing rubber into:
- carbon black;
- gas similar to natural
- metal cord, raw materials for metallurgy
- synthetic oil.
All pyrolysis products are in demand raw materials, and with proper sales organization, the tire recycling business can show very high profitability.
Recycling construction waste
Construction waste must first be sorted. It may contain concrete, brick, wood, metal. The task of recycling concrete comes down to crushing it with the parallel extraction of metal particles from it. The process takes place in several stages:
- Grinding large parts, for example using a hydraulic hammer.
- Splitting up
- Metal extraction
- Sorting particles by size on a screen.
The result of such disposal will be secondary crushed stone.
Disposal of construction waste is also of great importance from an environmental point of view. The pace of construction in our country is constantly increasing, old houses are being demolished. And transporting the resulting construction waste to landfills becomes unacceptably expensive and there is simply nowhere to go. But it can be reused on site! For this purpose, crushing and screening complexes are used. Recycled crushed stone is useful, for example, for backfilling an old pit. It can also be used simply for construction. The cost of concrete is reduced by 25%.
In world practice, it has long been the practice not to demolish, but to dismantle buildings with simultaneous sorting of construction waste. Up to 80% of construction waste can be used.
Glass recycling and cullet recycling
Non-standard and broken bottles that should go to landfill, as well as glass production waste, can also be recycled at a good profit for yourself and organize a glass recycling business.
You can take cullet from its production (there is always breakage and defects), at your own specially organized collection point, or receive it from your own waste sorting line, which was mentioned above. Manufacturers are willing to buy recycled glass waste because its remelting requires a lower temperature than glass production. At the same time, a significant amount of energy is saved and the furnaces operate in a gentle mode. How to prepare broken glass for recycling? It needs to be cleaned and crushed using a special installation. Modern glass processing plants melt and filter the crushed mass. The price of glass processing equipment starts from 100 thousand rubles.
The resulting raw materials are used not only in the production of glass products, but also in many industries: abrasives, ceramic products, insulation, tiles and bricks.
Paper recycling business
Currently, 50% of used paper and cardboard in the world is recycled. With paper the situation is somewhat different. It can withstand no more than 3 to 5 processing cycles. After this, irreversible deformations of the fibers lead to the fact that the bonds between them are destroyed. But, despite this, the number of waste paper processing industries is constantly growing, and this waste paper recycling business market is still far from being filled.
It is considered appropriate to sort paper into 12 grades according to whiteness, density, wood species and others. The composition of recyclable materials determines how it will be used in the future.
A simple (so-called wet) waste paper recycling technology consists of:
- dissolving paper in water. A pulper is used.
- removing all foreign objects from it. A cyclone cleaner is used
- in the case of cardboard recycling – thermomechanical processing
- fine purification of the mixture. Filtration through a sieve.
Recycled paper is used in the production of packaging cardboard and toilet paper in 75% of cases. The rest is used in the production of roofing materials.
Plastic recycling as a business
Although many types of plastics end up in household waste, PET containers, that is, plastic bottles, are considered the most promising in terms of recycling. They are the raw material for the production of so-called flex. This recycled product subsequently turns not only into the same plastic bottles, but also into paving slabs, film, synthetic bristles and much more.
Brief plastic recycling technology:
- Preliminary stage: sorting by color, removing stickers, dirt and foreign objects, pressing raw materials.
- On line: grinding, processing in a steam boiler, where residual impurities are removed, rinsing and polishing.
Where to get raw materials? There is plenty of it in landfills. Thus, the best supplier of raw materials for flex is a waste sorting line. You can purchase a mobile unit and organize processing directly at landfills, where you will have hundreds of tons of raw materials at your fingertips.
What is the price of plastic processing equipment?
A production line with a capacity of 1.5 tons of flex per hour will cost 160 thousand dollars and will pay for itself in a maximum of a year and a half.
One of the wise men once said a long time ago that you can make money even from what lies under your feet.
Modern practice confirms his words. Waste recycling is a very profitable business, and the following indicators confirm this fact:
- Processing companies are not that common, and there is plenty of raw material.
- An entrepreneur has the opportunity to accept various types of waste in an organized manner.
- High profitability is ensured by the possibility of recycling waste and turning it into secondary raw materials.
The relevance of this business can be seen in almost every aspect, from the fact that it has a positive effect on the environmental situation, and ending with the fact that the result gives greater profit to the owner.
The positive aspects include:
- support from local authorities (this area is very poorly funded, and the local administration is obliged to ensure cleanliness, therefore, you can safely count on support for such an idea and help with finding industrial premises);
- unlimited volume of production raw materials;
- if it is not possible to get involved with the expensive and labor-intensive process of creating a waste processing plant, then you can limit yourself to building a workshop, which will cost several times less and will bring a decent profit.
Despite many positive aspects, entrepreneurs may also encounter some problems related to the delivery and sorting of waste. The correct approach to these issues will certainly lead you to an adequate solution.
An interesting story about this field of activity in Russian conditions is in the following video:
What kind of waste can you deal with and what is most profitable?
So, let's look at the most common options:
- Car tires. The most promising and profitable method of processing this variety is called pyrolysis (depolymerization), which consists in the decomposition of rubber:
- on carbon;
- for gas;
- for steel cord, which is an excellent raw material for the metallurgical industry;
- for synthetic oil.
Each of these products is a sought-after raw material, and if sales are organized correctly, the result can be high profitability.
- Construction garbage usually consists of concrete, brick, wood and metal. After careful sorting, you can, for example, begin processing concrete, which includes crushing and parallel extraction of metal particles from it. As a result, it is possible to obtain secondary crushed stone used in construction. In world practice, it is now increasingly common to dismantle buildings and sort construction waste, about 80% of which can be reused.
- Recycling broken glass involves reusing non-standard and broken bottles that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Broken glass can be taken directly from production or you can organize your own collection point for glass containers or your own waste sorting line. Recycled raw materials are readily available to glass manufacturers because the material can be melted at lower temperatures than the glass-making process requires. Also, this secondary raw material is in great demand among manufacturers of abrasives, ceramic products, tiles and bricks.
- Used paper. The process of processing simple (so-called wet) waste paper involves:
- dissolving paper in water using a thinner;
- removing all foreign objects from it with a cyclone cleaner;
- thermomechanical treatment, if we are talking about cardboard;
- fine purification of the mixture (filtration).
Recycled paper can be used to make packaging board, toilet paper or roofing material.
Necessary documents for business registration
Legal recycling of solid household waste involves obtaining a license from the Ministry of Ecology. The Law “On Environmental Expertise” regulates the obligation of each entity that decides to collect and process waste to conduct an environmental assessment. This conclusion can be used throughout the entire life of the company (the approximate cost of this document is 5,500 rubles).
The entrepreneur must obtain permits from services such as fire protection and sanitary, and also stock up on project documentation that will describe all the technological processes of the future waste recycling organization. The total period for collecting and confirming documentation varies from 2 to 4 months, and the cost is approximately 24,000 rubles.
Where to get garbage?
The average trash can contains:
- 50% polymers: polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene;
- 25% food waste;
- 10% paper and cardboard;
- 15-20% rubber, metal, textiles.
In general, household waste is at least 60% recyclable. But this is only from a theoretical point of view, since separate collection of solid waste, generally accepted in many European countries, seems to us only a distant prospect. And unseparated waste sent to a modern recycling line can only give a result of 25%.
The best option is to install special mobile processing plants. They can be manual or automated, and their cost ranges from several hundred thousand to several million dollars.
There is another option: concluding an agreement with a local landfill or collection point for glass or plastic containers. Then the problem of sorting will disappear by itself: production will be provided with ready-made and sorted waste at a price of up to 5 rubles/kg.
Efficient production organization
Suitable premises are a very important stage, because for waste processing production you need at least 600 m2, for a processing workshop - 300-400 m2, and for a warehouse - 200 m2. In addition to buildings and structures for industrial purposes, it is necessary to allocate space for administrative premises, which can be located both on the production site and outside it. By the way, workshops located next to the city landfill will help reduce costs both for the delivery of raw materials and for renting premises.
The minimum equipment package should include:
- sorting line;
- storage bunker;
- crusher;
- magnet;
- bake.
Additional equipment is a melting furnace, but it is worth considering that it will significantly increase the cost side of the project.
Domestic equipment is considered the most affordable and functional.
Staff
It is impossible to recycle household waste without manual labor. In order to carry out sorting, selection, calibration and many other production steps, it is necessary staff from 20 to 40 people(it all depends on production volumes).
In addition, high-quality functioning of the enterprise is impossible without accountant, driver, manager and cleaner.
Sales channels for finished products
The final result directly depends on the raw materials used:
- Toxic waste, such as mercury lamps, can be used to produce many industrial and construction materials;
- compost can be made from plant waste, which serves as an excellent soil fertilizer;
- from electronic waste (picture tubes, electrical appliances) - iron, copper, aluminum and glass;
- from paper - secondary raw materials, from which new materials are subsequently formed.
And the main consumers of waste processing services and materials will be:
- enterprises whose activities are related to one or another final product - cellulose, wood, glass;
- industrial and individual consumers in need of secondary raw materials.
About costs and future profits
Waste recycling is quite a profitable business even considering the amount of funds required for its organization. This type of business will pay for itself very quickly (1.5-2 years) if sales are well established. Experts, based on their own observations, claim that The level of profitability of waste recycling production ranges from 42 to 80%, because this market segment is practically not subject to competition.
Based on the practice of existing enterprises, you can work with the following statistical data:
- One shift can process 3 tons of waste paper, 1.5 tons of polymer waste or 250 kg of plastic raw materials.
- One ton of any raw material costs on average from 9,000 to 45,000 rubles.
- Consequently, the average monthly profit of such an enterprise can range from 150,000 to 3,300,000 rubles.
A huge universal complex for processing any type of waste (wood, plastic, metal, paper or glass) will cost a huge amount of money. Experts claim that the amount will exceed the $20 million mark.
But even a modest enterprise has the opportunity to bring a decent profit. Setting up a workshop specializing in one type of waste will cost from 50 to 300 thousand dollars. Arrangement of warehouse and production premises in accordance with fire and sanitary requirements - another 2-3 thousand. A crusher, sorting line and other necessary equipment will require 50-70 thousand dollars.
In general, the business of receiving and processing waste is very relevant. The size of the initial investment is of course higher than that of or, but the amount of profit will also please you at the very beginning.
Recycling waste as a business in Russia is a very profitable direction. First of all, because the garbage is simply lying around underfoot, and the raw materials for such a business are simply unlimited. The second advantage is the support of such a business by local authorities, which will allow you to take out a loan or receive a grant if you do not have your own funds. But there are also several important nuances. In this article we will look at how to make waste recycling a profitable business.
What is considered the most profitable in the field of waste recycling?
Before opening a mini-factory or workshop, it is first advisable to decide on the raw materials with which you will work.
The most profitable options include:
Car tires
The most promising processing option is pyrolysis. This process consists of decomposing rubber into gases, carbons, metal cord (it can be sold to metallurgical enterprises), and synthetic oil. Each of the listed products is in demand on the market; with proper sales organization, you can quickly recoup the costs of opening an enterprise and make a good profit.
Construction garbage
It usually consists of wood, bricks, concrete, metal. When carrying out high-quality sorting, you can recycle concrete, extracting metal particles from it. This will make it possible to obtain recycled crushed stone - the main market is construction organizations.
You can start recycling broken glass: its sale is a very profitable business, since such a product is in demand in the production of ceramics, bricks, tiles, etc.
Used paper
The process of processing “wet” waste paper involves the creation of production, which consists of the following stages:
- Dissolution of paper.
- Removing fibers and unnecessary objects from it.
- Heat treatment.
- Fine cleaning.
Recycled paper can be repurposed into roofing materials, packaging board, toilet paper, etc.
What documents are needed to open a business?
Before you start opening your own waste recycling mini-plant, you should collect all the necessary documents. First, contact the Ministry of Environment to obtain a license: to do this, you first need to undergo an examination and receive a positive conclusion. The cost of the document is about 5 thousand rubles.
In addition, you will need the following documents:
- Permission from the SES.
- A project with a complete description of all technological “steps” in waste recycling.
But in addition to the documents listed above, it is imperative to draw up a competent business plan, which will account for all expenses and describe the production process. A business plan is needed not only to receive funds from investors, but also for the business owner himself, because having one will allow you to accurately determine the start-up capital, possible expenses, etc.
We are drawing up a business plan for opening a waste processing workshop
Let's take a closer look at what must be included in a business plan - this will allow us to predict and avoid many of the problems that novice entrepreneurs face.
Document narrative
A mini-plant for waste processing is a profitable investment that will bring profit regardless of the economic situation in the country. Many countries, including Russia, are ready to purchase certain types of waste for their business.
Production part
In this paragraph, we necessarily describe the equipment that will be required for the work. These include:
- Production line required for sorting raw materials.
- Storage location for raw materials.
- Press for processing it.
Many entrepreneurs immediately purchase imported equipment, but Russian-made products have good characteristics and the cost is an order of magnitude cheaper. The plan should also include the purchase or rental of trucks for transporting raw materials and marketing products.
The average expense at this stage is about $70 thousand. If you have additional funds, purchase a melting furnace, which you will definitely need at the waste processing stage.
Marketing part of the business plan
Beginning entrepreneurs very rarely pay attention to marketing when starting a business in the field of waste recycling, but it depends on it whether your business will be profitable. Only with a competent approach to analyzing competitors can you bypass them and take a leading position in this business. Therefore, be sure to study the market, which will allow you to determine the most profitable direction.
Financial part of the plan
Initial costs will be in the amount of 80-100 thousand dollars, which already includes costs for:
- Preparation of all documentation.
- Renting or purchasing premises.
- Purchase of all machinery and equipment.
- Purchase of raw materials for processing.
- Remuneration of company employees.
Where can I get garbage for recycling?
As we have already said, the business in the field of waste recycling will always be popular, since tons of waste, both household and construction, are disposed of every day. Let's count:
On average, one trash can contains:
- Polymers – about 50%.
- Polyethylene - about 10%.
- Food waste – 25%.
- Paper, cardboard – 10%.
- Metal, rubber, textiles - about 5%.
Approximately 60% of all of the above is suitable for further processing. True, in Russia, unlike European countries where separate waste collection is carried out, difficulties may arise with waste sorting. Therefore, you will either have to purchase equipment for processing raw materials, or use non-recycled waste - in this case, the return on business will be small, only about 25%.
It’s best to enter into an agreement with a landfill or collection point for containers (glass, plastic) - in this case there will be no problems with sorting.
Possible problems in this business
Whatever business you start, it can always entail the risk of not receiving part of the profit. To avoid this, you need to take into account every detail when drawing up a business plan. There are some useful tips that will help you beat your competitors and become a successful entrepreneur:
- Study and try to implement new technologies and equipment - this will allow you to stay ahead of your competitors at all stages.
- Try to enter into agreements for the supply of raw materials with several suppliers so that there is no shortage of goods - otherwise you may have problems supplying finished goods to your customers.
- Try not to overinflate your starting capital and expand only when absolutely necessary – don’t waste your money.
You will learn how to breed sheep and make this business as profitable as possible.
To open an enterprise for growing greens, read the article: tips on drawing up a business plan and selling goods.
Costs and profits - a few important numbers
In general, as the owners of such businesses note, the invested funds should pay off within 1.5-2 years. Agree, this is a pretty good period, and the raw materials for it will never run out, which is no less important. Taking into account the data of existing enterprises, several calculations can be made.
On average, one shift processes about 3 tons of waste paper, about 12.5 tons of polymer waste, and 250 kg of plastic waste. A ton of raw materials costs from 9 to 50 thousand rubles, therefore, the profit of one enterprise per month will be from 150 thousand rubles. up to 3 million rubles (we provided calculations for a medium-sized enterprise).
According to our calculations, which we discussed above, the cost of starting a business is higher than the cost of opening a hairdresser or a small store, but at the same time the payback rate is impressive - it is difficult to find a niche in which you can return the money spent in just a year and a half.
In contact with
* The calculations use average data for Russia
An integral part of human life is the generation of waste of various types - food, electronic, household. And the more complex our lives become, the more we consume, the more waste we produce. According to statistics, per person there is 200-300 kg of waste (MSW) per year, and in Russia as a whole, waste generation is estimated at 30-35 million tons annually.
Unlike Western countries, where waste is effectively recycled, in Russia this entire volume ends up in landfills, where it remains for decades, polluting the environment. The lack of a culture of sorting and recycling of at least the most hazardous waste, such as, for example, mercury lamps, batteries, medicines, only aggravates the current situation. Only a small part - no more than 5% - ends up in waste incineration plants, which, in fact, pollute the environment almost more than the landfills themselves.
Of course, our country does not stand still. At the end of 2014, the President of the Russian Federation signed a package of amendments to the law on industrial and consumer waste, which approved a recycling fee, and also tightened the requirements for the use of waste, in particular, a ban was introduced on the disposal of waste that has not lost its consumer properties.
Ideally, waste should be almost completely recycled with the aim of recycling the resulting materials. This is exactly what happens in Europe – up to 80% of solid waste is recycled there. With proper recycling, almost all of this volume can be reused. This means that you can earn good money by selling recycled waste.
You can make compost from organic waste and use it as fertilizer. Used automobile oil and other liquids can be converted into biological products and physiologically active compounds. Paper and cardboard can be produced from recycled paper and cardboard, and polymers can be produced from polymer materials. And so on.
In general, all work with waste can be divided into several stages: collection, transportation, sorting, processing (disposal, storage). Often, enterprises in this industry have a narrow specialization at some stage. This is logical, since the creation of an integrated organization for collecting, sorting and recycling waste not only requires huge capital investments, but is also organizationally complex.
Figure 1. Structure of solid waste in Russia
In addition, this area of business is perhaps one of the most corrupt in our country, and the market has been divided for a long time and for a long time. Removing waste and burying it in landfills is the most common way to get rid of it today. Garbage removal companies have been working here for years in the same urban area or with the same industrial enterprises. According to some estimates, the profitability of such a business reaches 20%. However, also for this reason, it is almost impossible for a new player to enter this market.
Ready ideas for your business
Waste sorting in itself is hardly of interest from a business point of view, at least because the main consumer of this service is recycling companies, of which there are still very, very few in Russia. Thus, we come to the logical conclusion that a sorting and processing complex may be the most profitable. And if after these words the imagination pictures a territory built up with multi-storey industrial buildings, with conveyor belts, access railway tracks and so on, then in reality everything is much more prosaic. We will talk further about how you can organize an enterprise for collecting and processing waste.
First of all, we need to decide whether we will limit ourselves to just sorting and recycling, or whether we will try to cover all links in the chain, ensuring that waste is collected directly from its source. As mentioned above, this market is divided and cannot be redistributed. However, you can find your own source that will provide the enterprise with a small but stable amount of material. Such a source could be a cottage community, of which there are many currently being built; it could be an industrial enterprise - just opened or already operating. In the second case, strong arguments will be required to convince the management of the enterprise to abandon the already established relationship with the service organization. Still, working with an industrial enterprise is more profitable, because will be able to provide our company with a stable volume of waste of a certain fraction, on which we can build specialization. And specialization, as we understand it, allows us to reduce costs. Actually, searching for a source, collecting and transporting waste from it is not expensive: you will need one or two containers for collection and a truck to transport it. Transportation costs can be reduced by using a press at the collection site if the material being collected allows it.
If we are not interested in organizing the supply of material directly from the source, we will focus directly on sorting and recycling. Here we return to the issue of specialization. It can be approached from two opposite sides: from the material being processed or from the source of waste.
The most common material for recycling today is PET containers, that is, ordinary plastic bottles for drinks, sunflower oil, etc. But almost anything can be recycled – from cars to wood, from consumer electronics to paper. Naturally, the more complex the original product, the more complex the technology for its disposal will be. We talked about specialization at the source above - it could be a factory, a shopping center or a cottage community. The first gives one or two main factions, the second two - a much larger assortment.
Ready ideas for your business
The simplest and most accessible waste disposal technologies include pressing and grinding. Actually, they can be used either individually or sequentially in a full technological cycle: crusher, sorting line, press, storage hopper, magnet.
Equipment is selected depending on the type of waste and the required productivity. For example, a press for aluminum and other non-ferrous metals, which allows you to press, for example, beverage cans, will cost about 100 thousand rubles. A wool and rag press, with which you can press spinning waste, has a higher cost - about 250 thousand. A press for briquetting PET containers and waste paper costs from 180 thousand rubles. Such a press produces a finished briquette that meets the requirements for acceptance by pulp and paper mills. More serious industrial presses from Western manufacturers cost one or two orders of magnitude higher. For example, a used German semi-automatic horizontal press will cost 46,000 euros, and a two-shaft Austrian shredder will cost 26,000 euros.
Various types of crushers and shredders are designed for crushing waste, which are also selected depending on the type of material being processed, productivity and the required degree of grinding. The cost of domestically produced crushers for polymers, foam rubber, padding polyester, fabrics, glass today is 90-100 thousand rubles.
Some suppliers offer ready-made universal lines with program control for processing a wide range of solid waste, including everything down to conveyors, protective fences, etc. The cost of such a line with installation will be approximately 5 million rubles.
There is also a lot of specialized equipment for processing electronic circuit boards (machines for removing components from circuit boards, vibrating tables, hammer crushers), package tearers, various extruders and granulators, dryers for the organic fraction and much more. Manufacturers and distributors of such equipment also offer comprehensive solutions depending on the planned focus of the enterprise; their cost is announced upon request. It should be expected that for a more or less serious line it will be at least 3-4 million rubles.
Ready ideas for your business
There are also more unconventional ways to make money from waste. For example, processing of landfill gas. At the moment, there is at least one such plant in Russia, founded by a Swedish company. The principle of operation of the plant is relatively simple: gas is collected through wells from the “body” of the landfill and collected in a furnace for its combustion, in the process of which electricity is generated. The plant itself consists of several mobile buildings, “roaming” through the landfill from a used gas source to a new one. According to rough estimates, the energy produced by the plant is enough to power a city of 50 thousand people. Of course, such an enterprise will require larger investments than a sorting and recycling line - such projects are beneficial only in the long term, especially taking into account the imperfections of Russian legislation in the field of environmental supervision.
Depending on the type of waste being processed, various requirements set out in SanPiN are imposed on the territories and premises. As a rule, they are all quite tough, because... the processing organization must not pollute the atmosphere and soil, not discharge wastewater, have high fire safety indicators, etc. Perhaps this can be called one of the main obstacles to opening such a business.
If the premises or territory have been sorted out, licensing of activities will then be required. According to the law, activities for the collection, use, neutralization, transportation and disposal of waste of I-IV hazard classes are subject to licensing (Class I is extremely hazardous waste that causes irreversible damage to the environment; these include, for example: vinyl chloride, lead oxide, polonium , plutonium, mercury, hydrogen fluoride, etc.). The accumulation of waste of any hazard class, as well as activities for the collection, use, neutralization, transportation and disposal of waste of hazard class V are not subject to licensing. The licensing procedure is carried out by Rostechnadzor, and its duration can reach 3-5 months.
As for the profitability of the “garbage” business, according to experts, a sorting and processing line can pay for itself in two to five years. Important factors ensuring profitability are: a slowly but steadily growing demand for recyclable materials and a fairly low level of risks due to fixed tariffs for waste disposal from municipalities. And, of course, there is an extremely low level of competition in this area.
Among the difficulties an entrepreneur will face here is a clash with the bureaucratic apparatus, which is often corrupt. If there are still potential competitors in your region, be prepared for the fact that they will try with all their might to prevent your entry into the market.
Denis Miroshnichenko
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Modern problems associated with the processing of household waste in Russia are based on limited opportunities for returning resources to natural and economic circulation. Running a business based on waste recycling is characterized by the rationality of investments with a high degree of payback and profitability. In addition, this business option does not require special knowledge.
Business relevance
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the average Russian family annually throws away about 1.6 tons of household waste, including more than 145 kg of plastic and almost 100 kg of paper waste, as well as almost a thousand glass bottles. All this garbage is a potential raw material base for production activities in the waste processing industry. Waste recycling as a business in Russia is one of the most profitable and promising due to the following circumstances:
- the emergence of high-quality and affordable domestic equipment that allows you to process household waste in small production areas;
- annual expansion of the sales market.
In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources plans to prohibit incineration of waste that may be suitable for further processing. Like any business, waste recycling requires initial financial investments and registration of all necessary title and permitting documentation.
Preparation of a package of documents
The first and most important document that allows you to engage in waste recycling as a business is obtaining a license from the Ministry of Environment. This document must be obtained once. The obtained license is valid for the entire period of business activity. Obtaining a license is quite simple. It is enough to register as or with a simplified taxation system and organize an environmental assessment, which issues a conclusion.
Next, a package of documents is collected, including title and design documentation for the premises used, as well as a business plan for waste processing, describing the production technology and permission from the fire inspectorate, SES, water and utilities. The process of collecting and confirming the entire package of documents takes about three months.
It is worth noting that a fairly convenient option is to order turnkey licensing. Firms involved in the preparation of such documentation work with both legal entities and individuals with individual entrepreneur status. The cost of such a service depends on the type of solid waste processed and the volume of production.
Of greatest interest is a mini-plant for waste processing based on crushing and sorting equipment, a business plan for the use of which is developed according to a standard scheme. The highest profitability is shown by a plant with a Russort production line, with a productivity of 10 tons and a power of 100 kW per hour.
Production premises and personnel
The construction of the plant requires the use of a relatively flat plot of land, the dimensions of which range from 55 by 30 to 80 by 40 meters. The location of production lines may vary depending on the type of access roads. The building must include a sorting room with an area of about 10 by 7 meters. The plant area must be landscaped using road slabs and equipped with a protective net to prevent debris from scattering.
The standard staff of the main personnel, in addition to the manager, foreman and mechanic, includes a team of workers consisting of:
- sorting line operators;
- press line operators;
- hydraulic manipulator operators;
- drivers.
Five-day work week - 8 hour shift:
- number of workers - 21 people, including foreman and mechanic;
- processing volume per shift - 80 tons of solid waste;
- the volume of processing per year is 19 thousand tons of solid waste.
Five-day work week - 2 shifts of 12 hours:
- number of workers - 40 people, including 2 foreman and 2 mechanics;
- processing volume per shift - 115 tons of solid waste;
- the volume of processing per year is 39 thousand tons of solid waste.
Seven-day work week - 24-hour operation:
- number of workers - 80 people, including 2 foreman and 2 mechanics;
- processing volume per shift - 230 tons of solid waste;
- the volume of processing per year is 80 thousand tons of solid waste.
The work is carried out in four shifts, each with 19 workers, a mechanic and a foreman.
Equipment selection
Modern standards and requirements require equipping the complex with the following equipment:
- press for recyclable materials and “tailings”;
- hydraulic manipulator;
- container capacity of 15 cubic meters for broken glass;
- feeding and sorting conveyors;
- a basket for secondary raw materials with a volume of 8 cubic meters;
- hydraulic stacker and trolley with scales;
- a sorting booth of 168 square meters with twenty working sorting stations for sixteen types of waste;
- KAMAZ-multilift.
In addition, the area of the frameless hangar should be about 430 square meters, including household compartments with locker rooms, showers and toilets, a manager’s room and a relaxation area for service personnel, as well as an individual boiler room.
Process technology
The technology used in solid waste processing plants may vary depending on the equipment and the final destination of the raw materials, but the main processes are standard and consist of the following steps:
- unloading garbage trucks at the unloading site;
- loading of waste mass onto the feed inclined conveyor belt using a hydraulic petal gripper of a hydraulic manipulator;
- lifting waste by the feed conveyor onto the sorting conveyor belt;
- manual sorting of waste with the selection of useful fractions that accumulate in special baskets;
- unloading the remaining mass into the press compactor, which is located near the end of the plant;
- compaction of waste into press containers;
- pressing of recyclable materials into special bales, ready for shipment to consumers.
Income/expenses and profitability
Starting investments:
- the cost of the mini-plant is 30 million rubles.
Economic indicators:
- annual volume of solid waste - 33 thousand tons;
- the annual volume of sorted recyclables is 5 thousand tons;
- capital investments for the acquisition of the plant - 30 million rubles;
- annual depreciation rate of fixed assets - 3 million rubles;
- annual diesel costs - 356 thousand rubles;
- annual transportation costs - 8.3 thousand rubles;
- annual equipment maintenance costs - 81 thousand rubles;
- annual costs for equipment repairs - 150 thousand rubles;
- annual payment for electricity - 650 thousand rubles;
- annual salary - 3.85 million rubles;
- annual payroll taxes - 1.1 million rubles;
- expenses for workwear - 48 thousand rubles.
Total expenses: 9.2 million rubles. in year.
- maximum consumption of secondary raw materials per ton is 1.8 thousand rubles;
- annual sales volumes of secondary raw materials, including VAT - 17 million rubles;
- profit before taxes - 8 million rubles;
- VAT -1.4 million rubles;
Income: 6 million rubles.
The estimated payback period is about three years.
Mini-plants for processing solid waste belong to the category of prefabricated ones, and the average construction time is about three months. A high-quality and reliable line for such an enterprise can be purchased for an amount of 30 million rubles, and inexpensive and modern construction solutions make it possible to minimize start-up costs.
The productivity of such production under standard conditions is about one hundred tons per shift, which is comparable in volume to twelve KAMAZ trucks of waste. With such indicators, the payback threshold does not exceed four years.
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