If you think waste is a worthless byproduct of modern life, consider this: our mounting trash, wastewater, and contaminated sites fuel a trillion-dollar global environmental services industry projected to reach $1.7 trillion this decade, transforming ecological challenges into one of the world's fastest-growing economic sectors.
Key Takeaways
- The global environmental services market was valued at $1,248.5 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $1,689.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2024 to 2030.
- In the US, the environmental services industry generated $298.4 billion in revenue in 2023, with a 3.2% annual growth rate over the past five years.
- Europe's environmental services sector employed over 2.1 million people in 2022, contributing €250 billion to GDP.
- US hazardous waste management services revenue reached $42.3 billion in 2023.
- Globally, 2.24 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated in 2020, expected to rise to 3.88 billion by 2050.
- In the EU, 510 million tonnes of waste were generated in 2020, with 49% recycled or recovered.
- The global wastewater treatment market size was $352.35 billion in 2023, projected to reach $593.85 billion by 2030 at CAGR 7.51%.
- US public wastewater treatment facilities treated 34 billion gallons of wastewater daily in 2022.
- In India, only 28% of urban sewage is treated, generating 72,368 million liters per day untreated.
- US Superfund sites numbered 1,340 in 2023, with $1.7 billion spent on remediation.
- Global soil remediation market was valued at $50.2 billion in 2022, expected to grow to $88.7 billion by 2030 at CAGR 7.4%.
- In 2022, 1.3 million sites in Europe were potentially contaminated, requiring remediation.
- Global recycling market size reached $407.15 billion in 2023, projected to $684.79 billion by 2032 at CAGR 5.78%.
- US recycled 32.1% of municipal solid waste in 2018, totaling 292.4 million tons generated.
- EU recycling rate for municipal waste hit 49.7% in 2022.
The environmental services industry is a rapidly growing multi-trillion dollar global market.
Market Overview
- The global environmental services market was valued at $1,248.5 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $1,689.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2024 to 2030.
- In the US, the environmental services industry generated $298.4 billion in revenue in 2023, with a 3.2% annual growth rate over the past five years.
- Europe's environmental services sector employed over 2.1 million people in 2022, contributing €250 billion to GDP.
- The Asia-Pacific environmental services market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 5.1% from 2024 to 2030 due to rapid urbanization.
- North America's share of the global environmental services market was 35% in 2023, driven by stringent regulations.
- US environmental services industry revenue grew 2.8% in 2023 to $312 billion.
- Global air pollution control market $68.8 billion in 2023.
- Global green bonds for environmental services $50 billion issued in 2023.
Market Overview Interpretation
Despite the planet's subtle hints, humanity's $1.2 trillion (and counting) investment in cleaning up its own mess proves we're finally starting to listen, though at a pace that suggests we're still slightly hard of hearing.
Remediation
- US Superfund sites numbered 1,340 in 2023, with $1.7 billion spent on remediation.
- Global soil remediation market was valued at $50.2 billion in 2022, expected to grow to $88.7 billion by 2030 at CAGR 7.4%.
- In 2022, 1.3 million sites in Europe were potentially contaminated, requiring remediation.
- US brownfield cleanup grants awarded $298 million in 2023 for 150 projects.
- Australia remediated 1,200 contaminated sites in 2022 under the National Environment Protection Measure.
- US groundwater remediation projects cost $2.5 billion annually.
- Global groundwater contamination affects 2.5 billion people.
- France remediated 25,000 contaminated sites since 1982 under BASOL register.
- South Korea’s soil remediation market grew 8.2% in 2023.
- Mexico has 1,600 priority contaminated sites for remediation.
- Global PFAS remediation market $1.2 billion in 2023.
- US EPA’s Brownfields Program leveraged $1.8 billion in private investment per $1 federal.
- Italy’s contaminated sites register lists 37,000 areas.
- China remediated 50,000 contaminated sites by 2022.
- Global bioremediation market $13.8 billion in 2022, CAGR 7.8% to 2030.
- UK’s contaminated land remediation cost £1.5 billion annually.
- Global sediment remediation market $4.5 billion in 2023.
- Global environmental remediation market $100.5 billion in 2023.
- US spent $15 billion on Superfund cleanups since 1980.
- Global vapor intrusion remediation technologies market $1.1 billion.
- Global mine remediation market $2.8 billion in 2023.
- Global groundwater remediation market $25.6 billion by 2027.
- US sediment dredging volume 200 million cubic yards annually.
- Global oil spill management market $140 billion in 2023.
- US thermal remediation projects 25% of total cleanups.
- Global phytoremediation market $0.8 billion growing at 12% CAGR.
- US vapor intrusion sites 20,000 assessed.
- Brazil remediated 500 contaminated areas in 2022.
Remediation Interpretation
Despite the staggering scale and cost of cleaning up our planet's poisoned soil and water—a global industry now worth over a hundred billion dollars—the sobering truth is that we are still racing to remediate the consequences of past carelessness, one toxic site at a time.
Sustainability
- Global recycling market size reached $407.15 billion in 2023, projected to $684.79 billion by 2032 at CAGR 5.78%.
- US recycled 32.1% of municipal solid waste in 2018, totaling 292.4 million tons generated.
- EU recycling rate for municipal waste hit 49.7% in 2022.
- Plastic recycling rates globally stand at 9%, with 79% landfilled or incinerated.
- E-waste generated worldwide was 62 million tonnes in 2022, only 22.3% formally recycled.
- Global e-waste recycling market valued at $47.2 billion in 2022.
- UK recycled 45% of household waste in 2022/23.
- Japan's waste recycling rate reached 84% for municipal solid waste in 2022.
- Global circular economy market valued at $350 billion in 2022.
- Germany’s packaging recycling rate was 97.4% in 2022.
- US composted 4.1% of MSW in 2018, 23 million tons.
- Vietnam’s e-waste recycling capacity is 100,000 tons/year.
- Global secondary materials trade $200 billion annually.
- Sweden’s material recycling rate 50%, incineration 49% in 2022.
- EU’s circular economy action plan targets 65% municipal waste recycling by 2035.
- Canada’s recycling rate for plastics 9% in 2022.
- Australia recycled 58 million tonnes of waste in 2022-23.
- US electronics recycling 15.5 million tons processed in 2021.
- India’s e-waste generation 3.2 million tonnes in 2022.
- Global zero waste cities initiative targets 20 cities by 2025.
- US recycled paper 37.3 million tons in 2018.
- Global construction waste recycling rate 40% average.
- EU battery recycling rate 52% in 2022.
- Global recycled plastics market $69.4 billion in 2023.
- China’s recycling rate 35% for urban waste in 2022.
Sustainability Interpretation
The statistics reveal a world of staggering ambition and sobering reality, where the booming global recycling market soars toward a trillion dollars even as we still bury, burn, or lose far too much of our waste, proving that our economic and environmental priorities are often tragically out of sync.
Waste Management
- US hazardous waste management services revenue reached $42.3 billion in 2023.
- Globally, 2.24 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated in 2020, expected to rise to 3.88 billion by 2050.
- In the EU, 510 million tonnes of waste were generated in 2020, with 49% recycled or recovered.
- US landfills received 146 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2018, down 7% from 2000.
- China banned imports of 24 types of solid waste in 2018, leading to a 99% drop in plastic waste imports by 2021.
- Canada's waste management sector revenue was CAD 22.5 billion in 2023.
- Brazil generated 78 million tons of solid waste annually, with 58% collected.
- Global hazardous waste generation was 400 million tons in 2022.
- Saudi Arabia’s waste-to-energy projects generated 1.2 GW capacity by 2023.
- Global biogas production from waste reached 20 billion cubic meters in 2022.
- Netherlands incinerated 52% of municipal waste with energy recovery in 2022.
- South Africa’s landfill waste was 122 million tons in 2022.
- Global market for waste-to-energy technologies $37.1 billion in 2023.
- US hazardous waste incinerated 1.6 million tons in 2020.
- UAE’s waste management market $2.5 billion in 2023.
- India’s solid waste management market $1.5 billion in 2023.
- Global waste collection market $411 billion in 2023.
- EU landfilled only 23% of waste in 2022.
- Global medical waste market $10.6 billion in 2023.
- Brazil’s waste generation per capita 1.04 kg/day in 2022.
- China’s hazardous waste disposal capacity 120 million tons/year by 2025 target.
- Netherlands’ waste generation 510 kg per capita in 2022.
- US landfill methane emissions 14.4% of total anthropogenic methane in 2021.
- EU’s industrial waste generation 310 million tonnes in 2020.
- Canada’s hazardous waste exported 1.2 million tons in 2021.
- UK waste from households 27 million tonnes in 2022.
- Sweden’s landfill ban since 2002 reduced landfilling to 0.5%.
- India’s municipal solid waste generation 62 million tonnes/year.
- Global food waste 1.3 billion tons/year, 33% of production.
Waste Management Interpretation
Despite our planet's growing talent for producing a staggering variety and volume of waste, humanity's cleanup industry is booming into a half-trillion-dollar global enterprise, proving that where there's muck, there's brass—and a desperate, expensive race to manage our own excess.
Water Services
- The global wastewater treatment market size was $352.35 billion in 2023, projected to reach $593.85 billion by 2030 at CAGR 7.51%.
- US public wastewater treatment facilities treated 34 billion gallons of wastewater daily in 2022.
- In India, only 28% of urban sewage is treated, generating 72,368 million liters per day untreated.
- Global desalination capacity reached 114.1 million cubic meters per day in 2023.
- EU urban wastewater treatment covers 96% of the population load for biological treatment as of 2022.
- Australia’s wastewater treatment plants number over 3,000, treating 2.5 billion liters daily.
- US spent $81 billion on water and wastewater infrastructure in 2021.
- India’s water treatment market projected to grow at 9.7% CAGR to 2028.
- Over 300 million people in China lack access to safely managed wastewater services.
- EU invested €25 billion in water infrastructure under Cohesion Funds 2014-2020.
- Singapore’s wastewater reclamation rate is 40%, producing NEWater.
- Global wastewater reuse market $30 billion in 2022.
- Australia’s Great Barrier Reef water quality improvement invested $1 billion since 2019.
- US PFAS in drinking water detected at 45% of utilities tested.
- Japan’s water reuse rate 0.6% of total supply.
- US stormwater management market $13.2 billion in 2023.
- Singapore treats 100% of used water.
- EU water reuse potential 6.6 billion m3/year.
- Global industrial wastewater treatment market $79.4 billion by 2028.
- UK’s sewage treatment covers 99% of population.
- France’s water abstraction for public supply 5.3 billion m3 in 2021.
- Japan’s sewage treatment rate 79% in 2022.
- Global sludge treatment market $5.7 billion in 2023.
- Global urban wastewater generation 330 billion m3/year.
- Australia’s desalination plants produce 1.5 million m3/day.
- EU’s wastewater treatment investment €190 billion 2021-2027.
- Global advanced oxidation processes market $1.5 billion for water treatment.
Water Services Interpretation
From gleaming towers of Singaporean efficiency to the sobering reality of 300 million Chinese without safe sanitation, our planet's wastewater story is a staggering, multi-trillion-dollar testament to both human ingenuity and profound inequity.
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