Waste streams are changing faster than the systems built to manage them. The forecast AI buildout could create a growing stream of retired data center hardware rich in critical materials. Textiles, one of the fastest-growing streams, still lack basic federal data and end-of-life conversion infrastructure. Organics processing capacity is scaling up, but infrastructure for household participation may need a rethink. PFAS rules for landfills now must be written state by state as federal guidance pauses. In each case, infrastructure, policy and data are struggling to adapt to the rapidly evolving mix of materials in the waste stream. Communities and businesses that measure and evaluate what they handle now will be best positioned to manage these changes.
The big picture
This Week in Waste
AI Buildout Could Triple E-Scrap Volumes
A new Basel Action Network white paper projects that 395 to 617 million metric tons of AI-related electronic equipment could be retired between 2025 and 2050, far above earlier estimates. Earlier studies counted only servers and chips; BAN’s model adds the other 87% of data center hardware, including power, cooling and networking gear, plus home and business devices replaced early to keep up with AI. While on a mass basis this is a relatively small amount of material, the concentration of strategic rare earth and precious materials elevates the importance of this end-of-life material stream.
Key takeaway: Local governments and e-scrap processors should plan now for the rapidly growing stream of data center equipment. That means reuse and refurbishment channels, responsible export controls, and expanded processing capacity.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
Resource Recycling ·
Recycling Today
Federal Textile Waste Bill Would Put EPA in Charge
Over 90% of textiles end up in the landfill or incinerator. Given textiles’ environmental footprint, it is important to improve on this. With this goal in mind, Rep. Chellie Pingree introduced the Textile Waste Reduction Act (H.R. 10454) on September 16. The bill directs EPA to develop a National Textile Circularity Strategy, form an interagency working group, publish federal funding opportunities for states, localities and Tribes, and report textile waste data annually. It builds on a 2024 GAO report that recommended Congress name a lead federal agency on textile circularity.
Key takeaway: While its passage is uncertain, the bill signals the importance of textiles as a material stream needing a structured policy approach.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
Ecotextile News ·
Just Style
Organics: Processing Capacity Consolidates While Participation Lags
Vanguard Renewables agreed to acquire Generate Upcycle’s five North American anaerobic digesters, closing October 1. The deal adds about 565,000 tons of capacity and marks Generate Capital’s full exit from organics. Separately, a Baruch College analysis found New York City’s curbside organics tonnage rose 72.5% in FY2026. But the capture rate is still only 8%, and renewed enforcement did not produce the participation bump seen in 2025.
Key takeaway: Processing capacity is scaling and moving to specialized operators faster than household participation is growing. Given the increasing reluctance of consumers to separate and the expense of separate collection routes, policy makers need to explore alternatives to the current infrastructure.
From SWEEP: How The EPA’s New Strategy And The US Food Waste Pact Can Make a Difference
Sources: Waste Dive (Vanguard) ·
American Biogas Council ·
Waste Dive (NYC)
PFAS Oversight Shifts From Washington to the States
EPA has rescinded its 2022 guidance that gave state regulators standard language for limiting and monitoring PFAS in wastewater discharge permits, including permits for landfills. The agency says it will set sector-specific effluent guidelines first. While this includes landfills, the original guidance was set for release in 2027 and this new ruling could delay the release of sector guidelines for years. New York is moving the other way: its DEC has proposed a first-in-the-nation rule that would require landfills to remove 99.9% of more than 250 contaminants from leachate, including PFAS. WM, Casella, NWRA and public operators such as the Town of Brookhaven say the rule is unworkable as written, citing treatment facility costs of $3 million to $50 million.
Key takeaway: With federal direction receding, PFAS requirements for landfills and wastewater plants will increasingly depend on the state. Operators and local governments should track state rulemakings closely and consider regional leachate treatment partnerships to share costs.
Sources: Waste Dive (EPA guidance) ·
Waste Dive (New York leachate) ·
NYS DEC
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