I’ve having a hard time figuring out how this is actually going to be any different than the existing “brokerage” services that are common in the solid waste in

I’ve having a hard time figuring out how this is actually going to be any different than the existing “brokerage” services that are common in the solid waste industry. I really hope I’m wrong because this industry is ready for an operational overhaul and I would love someone from Rubicon to jump in here and point out where they are different. Waste Management purchased one of the largest solid waste brokers in the nation (OakLeaf) in 2011 [1] and through that acquisition now brokers sold waste and recycling collection services to smaller collection companies across the nation. Large national brands like those mentioned sub out the management of collection contracts for their individual location’s waste services to Waste Management’s brokerage division. This sounds just like the business model described for Rubicon. One of their primary claims that I’m having a hard time with is the claim that current haulers just want to landfill material because that’s the most cost effective disposal method. I’m in a unique position to say most of my clients (private haulers) are not solely looking to landfill material. They’re already trying very hard to extract extra value for the materials they collection so they’ll be more competitive when bidding. Some of them own landfills. Some of them don’t. Most of them landfill material as a last resort. I absolutely believe there is opportunity here and hope Rubicon’s distinguishing characteristics were simply missing from this article or somehow under represented. Also, I’m thrilled that HN has a post about garbage mixed with technology. That’s a combo that I’m incredibly passionate about and love the opportunity to get this community more involved in. [1]: http://www.wm.com/documents/pdfs/oakleaf.pdf http://www.wm.com/documents/pdfs/oakleaf.pdf