"According to research by the World Economic Forum and United Nations Development Programme, the circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in new global value by 2030, and investors are racing to capture part of that opportunity. Meet Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh, Director of Innovation at Overlay Capital, an Atlanta-based alternative investment firm whose Waste and Materials Fund is backing both early-stage materials innovators and later-stage recycling operations with established infrastructure."
"Elizabeth explains that sortation is the biggest bottleneck at the materials recycling facilities (MRFs) your garbage and recycling are sent to after curbside collection. The U.S. is simultaneously the world's leading exporter of scrap aluminum and the number one importer of finished aluminum, because we've lacked domestic sorting capacity."
What is called waste is misallocated feedstock—raw materials waiting to be cycled back into next-generation products and packaging. Research by the World Economic Forum and United Nations Development Programme estimates the circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in global value by 2030. Overlay Capital’s Waste and Materials Fund backs early-stage materials innovators and later-stage recycling operations with established infrastructure. The strategy invests in innovation and implementation simultaneously to accelerate multiple layers of the circular economy. Sortation at materials recycling facilities (MRFs) is the biggest bottleneck after curbside collection, causing the U.S. to export scrap aluminum while importing finished aluminum. Fixing sortation raises recycling rates, extends landfill life, and improves margins as higher-purity materials command premium prices; portfolio companies include firms converting waste into compostable alternatives.
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