Colorado-based 5280 Waste Management dumps 200 to 300 large containers full of construction waste (1.2 million pounds) daily into landfill, including wood waste that could be reused. The company receives tipping fees of $25 per ton, yet recycling sorting fees are $80 per ton, preventing wood recycling from happening.

To address this challenge, we created a robust business plan for a startup company to receive that wood waste and create biochar, a carbon-sequestering material known to boost crop yields and filter water. We also worked with academics to hone soil types, the chemical properties of biochar and its binding capabilities for various crop types in Colorado.

Although 5280 Waste Management chose not to move forward with this circular-product business because of large upfront capital expenses ($10 million), the business model proved successful. With the 5280’s blessing, we helped another client on Colorado’s Western Slope launch a similar startup business, using forest-floor waste and converting it to biochar.