Heartland Advocates for Upcycling on Global Recycling Day
End-to-end waste solutions provider seeks to accelerate the shift to industrial upcycling solutions to realize the promise of recycling.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Heartland, an industry-recognized, end-to-end waste solutions provider that has operated at the intersection of water, renewable energy and resource recovery since 2008, is spearheading a campaign marking Global Recycling Day (Mar. 18). Its efforts are intended to accelerate the country’s shift from recycling to upcycling—one of the most impactful, available means of attaining the circular, sustainable economy originally envisioned by recycling pioneers.
Unlike recycling, which breaks down materials into items of similar or lesser value, upcycling transforms waste into higher-value products. This generates the economic incentives necessary to keep waste out of landfills, achieve true resource conservation and build a sustainable system of waste management.
Upcycling takes many forms, but its most exciting potential lies in industrial-scale applications. Using cutting-edge technology, businesses are converting waste into clean energy alternatives, such as clean and renewable hydrogen, low-carbon methanol, diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). These processes go beyond reducing waste—they cut carbon emissions and reduce the need for new fuel excavation, addressing two of our greatest environmental challenges simultaneously.
Heartland’s upcycling advocacy comes at a time when our collective approach to recycling isn’t working. Per a 2024 report published by The Recycling Project, only 21% of the items Americans sort into our ubiquitous blue bins are actually recycled—a number that drops to 9% when accounting for plastics, according to the EPA. The rest ends up in landfills or is incinerated, causing significant environmental harm.
At the same time, new upcycling technologies have become increasingly available, cost-efficient and turnkey. For example, Heartland’s HelioStorm™ technology converts food and other organic waste into turquoise hydrogen and ultra-pure synthesis gas, used to produce clean energy. This process is not just environmentally sound—it’s commercially viable and scalable. HelioStorm systems can even be installed on-site at landfills, wastewater treatment plants and material recovery facilities, eliminating the expense and emissions associated with waste transport.
One real-world example of this technology in action is the project at the Port of West Virginia, where Heartland and Empire Green Generation will use advanced upcycling techniques to transform food waste into clean hydrogen. Once operational at the end of 2026, this project will power itself entirely with renewable energy, demonstrating the power of upcycling to create sustainable solutions.
While the upcycling solutions championed by Heartland and others are quickly gaining traction, more urgency is required for the sake of our environment. The company is calling for local leaders to partner with today’s waste management community to expedite the shift to industrial upcycling. These officials and their constituents can learn more about advancements in upcycling at Heartland’s dedicated Global Recycling Day Insights page at https://www.oneheartland.com/insights/globalrecyclingday2025/.
“Recent and cutting-edge advances in upcycling remain among the best kept secrets in waste management today,” said Christopher Beaufait, President and CEO of Heartland. “Our goal is to meaningfully enhance awareness of these improvements, harnessing the spirt and ethos of recycling to transform environmental challenges into a legacy of sustainability.”
Since 2018, Global Recycling Day has been marked annually on Mar. 18. It was spearheaded by the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), a federation representing more than 30,000 companies around the globe.
Visit https://www.oneheartland.com.
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Amanda Coyle
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