Investing In a Cleaner Planet: How Venture Capital Is Tackling Waste

Venture capital (VC), a subset of private equity investing, is increasingly at the forefront of environmental innovation, funding technologies to clean the land, restore our waters, and decarbonize the sky. As ecological stresses intensify, traditional public institutions and philanthropy need a helping hand. VC, able to deliver the scale of solutions required for this enormous undertaking, fills a critical gap by rapidly identifying emerging technologies, injecting risk-tolerant capital, and accelerating commercialization. From food to electronics, municipal to industrial, textile to landfill, VC is actively investing in every major waste stream. According to the World Bank, the world produces over 2 billion tons of solid waste annually, which is expected to increase to more than 3.4 billion tons by 2050¹. To put this issue in perspective, global waste could fill the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in the U.S. state of Texas approximately 1,040 times every year, or nearly three times per day². A truly global burden, some of the challenges contributing to the waste epidemic include rapid urbanization, regulatory gaps, and a lack of infrastructure¹.

Ultimately, the waste issue can be described as a health issue, impacting humans, animal life, and the environment. Open dumping and landfill leaching release toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater systems, exposing communities to pathogens². Chemicals and plastics released into waterways harm marine life through entanglement, ingestion, and ecosystem disruption, potentially posing health risks to humans through seafood consumption³. Emissions and open burning generate health risks to communities and agriculture through methane release, smog, and acid rain¹.

The global waste management industry generates an estimated $1 to $1.5 trillion (USD) per year⁴. In the U.S. and Europe alone, the industry is worth approximately $755 billion (USD), greater than one-half of the total estimate⁵⁶. Due to the scale of global waste management, coupled with underutilized waste value - landfills, unrecycled materials, unrealized biofuels - and higher costs from fragmented waste systems and regulations, entrepreneurs and VC firms are working to solve these problems while generating returns. VC firms are doing this by investing in “circular economy” startups attempting to recycle and eliminate waste.

Recyclops, an investment of BDev Ventures, delivers recycling and landfill-diversion services to homes and businesses throughout the U.S., focusing primarily on “recycling deserts,” where recycling programs may not be available. Additionally, Recyclops provides services for difficult-to-recycle items such as diapers and durable plastics, as well as large, non-standard materials including furniture, mattresses, and large appliances⁷. According to Recyclops, 6.72 million lbs. of cardboard, aluminum, plastics, and glass have been diverted since 2022 from landfills, which is equivalent to 763 elephants⁸.

SOSV invests in early-stage organizations, including water solutions. Oxyle, an SOSV portfolio company, aims to filter water for micropollutants and destroy contaminants once captured⁹. Known as chemical/technological remediation, Oxyle destroys these pollutants through chemical treatment, breaking down the molecular bonds of the waste and leaving non-toxic byproducts¹⁰. With proprietary systems, these reactions are contained within specialized tanks to increase efficiency and ensure safe handling of toxic materials¹⁰. In two case studies, Oxyle was able to destroy over 99% of toxic pollutants in contaminated groundwater and industrial wastewater¹¹.

Spiritus, an investment of Khosla Ventures, is addressing air pollution by passively trapping carbon dioxide within “Carbon Orchards”¹². The “fruit” of these orchards is a proprietary material – sorbent - designed to mimic alveoli found in the human lung, which absorb CO₂. Once the sorbent is saturated with carbon dioxide, it is transported from the orchard, the CO₂ is safely removed and stored, and the sorbent is then returned to the orchard for additional CO₂ collection¹³. According to Spiritus, carbon orchards remove 1,000 times more carbon dioxide than an actual forest, making them far more efficient per acre¹³.

Waste, a large and growing global challenge, is encroaching upon our lands, skies, and waterways. A number of visionary problem-solvers, backed by venture capital, have taken notice and are developing processes, technologies, and organizations to combat these issues and remove waste from our communities. Though not the sole answer to these challenges, each of these advancements reminds us that courage, imagination, and grit will help build a cleaner, healthier world.

About the Author

Calvin Pacleb is the founder of The Catholic Action Network, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit focused on economic development, investment, and entrepreneurship as a pathway out of poverty. The organization is a proud sponsor of Texas A&M University’s Texas High School Ideas Challenge. Calvin’s articles cover economic development and the common good. To learn more, please visit www.TheCatholicActionNetwork.org.

References

1.      Kaza, S., Yao, L., Bhada-Tata, P., & Van Woerden, F. (2018). What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050. World Bank. Retrieved from https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/697271544470229584/pdf/What-a-Waste-2-0-A-Global-Snapshot-of-Solid-Waste-Management-to-2050.pdf

2.      HKS Architects. (2009). AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys Stadium) fact sheet: Volume and size. ArchDaily. Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/37803/dallas-cowboys-stadium

3.      Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., et al. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768–771. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352

4.      Precedence Research. (2025). Waste Management Market Size to Hit USD 2.30 Trillion by 2034. Retrieved from https://www.precedenceresearch.com/waste-management-market

5.      Grand View Research. (2025). United States Waste Management Market Size & Outlook, 2025–2033. Retrieved from https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/waste-management-market/united-states

6.      Grand View Research. (2025). Europe Waste Management Market Report. Retrieved from https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/europe-waste-management-market-report

7.      BDev Ventures. (2024, October 21). BDev Ventures Announces Strategic Investment in Recyclops. GlobeNewswire. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/21/2966137/0/en/BDev-Ventures-Announces-Strategic-Investment-in-Recyclops.html

8.      Recyclops. (2022). Environmental impact and recycling results. https://recyclops.com/about-us/

9.      SOSV. (n.d.). Oxyle. SOSV. https://sosv.com/company/oxyle/

10.  Oxyle. (n.d.). Photochemical reduction technology for PFAS degradation. Oxyle. https://oxyle.com/solutions

11.  Oxyle. (n.d.). Case studies. Oxyle. https://oxyle.com/resources/case-studies

12.  Franck, T. (2023, September 6). Khosla Ventures backs carbon removal company with lung-like material. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/06/khosla-ventures-backs-carbon-removal-company-with-lung-like-material.html

13.  Spiritus. (2023). Khosla Ventures backs effort to make orchards of lung-like material to absorb CO₂ from air. https://spiritus.com/news/khosla-ventures-backs-effort-to-make-orchards-of-lung-like-material-to-absorb-co2-from-air/