IntroductionLandfill industry statistics have been remarkably few and inaccurate until recently, and the change toward the collection and use of data, providing waste types and quantities as landfill statistical data, is only now becoming important. This is due to the fact that governments and industry are starting to see waste as a resource and a commodity worthy of investment, and need good waste flow data on which to base their investments.The landfilling of waste probably ranks amongst one of the longest established industries. As soon as people started to congregate in communities, there must have been people digging what were known as “middens” to take human solid waste, and charging for the service.But, while nobody did anything much other than throw it into a hole by the truckload very few cared, what or how much, was being thrown. So, even the quantity discarded was poorly recorded. Landfill industry statistics were thought of as being of little interest or value, and very little was done, let alone the recording of tonnages against a nationally or internationally recognized register to classify in a consistent manner all of the vast number of waste material types.So, the result has been that in many nations, government statistics are only available historically for total tonnages of waste sent to landfill, and in many countries the make-up of that waste was only very scantily recorded at a national level, if at all.This was the case in the UK until the early 2000’s, but has been improving since.The Main Influences on Landfill Industry StatisticsThe emergence of the EU Waste Register has altered all that, and it now makes financial sense to collect this data, for the purpose of understanding the individual waste flows for the implementation of re-use, and recycling.So, that covers the development of landfill industry data collection, and is important to the waste re-use and recycling community, however, very many investors would like to understand landfill industry statistics, in order to assess the potential profitability of landfills for investment purposes.With that in mind let us consider the way in which landfill industry statistics could assist such decisions in the assessment of landfills as a profitable business, but in general don’t help that much.With only modest changes in technology over the last 10 to 20 years and little opportunity for differentiation, landfilling is accurately described as a mature industry. There are minimal barriers to entry once the operator has complied with the requirement to show that a landfill operator is a “fit and proper person” by taking a course and obtaining a Certificate of Technical Competence (CoTC) in landfilling. This means that new landfill companies are constantly being created, bringing new pricing dynamics in the area they originate.The industry also conforms to the concept of a competitive model when viewed for the nation as a whole. Under these conditions, operators see obtaining market share achieved by price competition, to be the dominant objective of most landfill operators and rightly so, too.As a result, landfill market prices are, in general, dictated by the lowest price in each catchment area. Catchment areas are defined by the high cost of transport of waste, and to a lesser extent by the philosophy of local authority waste management practice which is to tend to wish to dispose of waste in the locality of its generation to avoid hostility from the voting public toward transhipment of waste between regions, and urban areas.As with the majority of mature industries, the landfill business has also undergone substantial consolidation in recent years as operators attempt to increase market share and achieve economies of scale. In fact there is hardly any big waste disposal industry player not to have made acquisitions in the last decade. The effect of this upon landfill industry statistics has been to make disposal costs and quantities disposed sub-regionally even harder to establish as mergers result in large changes in shipping routes and landfill destinations after each merger. Such changes happen inter-company and are rarely transparent within the data.Despite the many mergers, the fact that the industry is now more concentrated in fewer companies than before, by other industry standards it is still fragmented and again this impairs the usefulness of landfill industry statistics, with widely varying profitability levels co-existing regionally.ConclusionIn practice when interpreting landfill industry statistics and how charges for landfilling, and hence landfill profitability varies, it is most important to remember that because transport costs, represent a very significant proportion of total waste management costs, landfill markets operate very much on a regional basis.This means that a degree of local monopoly power can exist in areas where most of the landfills are operated by the same company. In such areas, general landfill industry statistics may not reflect actual profitability levels.This happens when landfill companies find that they are able to control a significant proportion of the landfill capacity, and manipulate landfill gate fees upward. In the UK this has happened in areas like Bedfordshire, where one company has a substantial presence. In such situations, prices can be raised to levels above competitive market rates and operators may, in the short term, earn abnormally high profits.Ultimately, the landfill investor should in general not rely on landfill industry statistics when considering the likely return on landfill operating company investment, and there is no substitute for detailed and specific market research on local gate fees and landfill development costs as apply to specific sites.
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The 8 Trillion Dollar Industry and the Advantages of Online Business Travel
If there is an industry that benefited from the discovery of the Internet, that would be the travel industry. Nowadays, it is just easy for people to browse through available flights if they are flying to another country or destination. If they wanted to see what the destination is like, they can check the Internet for pictures. They can even seek forums on the occasion that they are conflicted about going to one place so that they know what the pros and cons are. They do not even have to look very far-because of the fact that traveling has now become one of the most popular choices for recreation, there is a chance that a couple of your friends have already visited the place you are eyeing at. You may ask them about the experience, or you can simply take a look at their social media accounts for the photos they took during the trip. This is all thanks to the Internet.Given that traveling is popular now, more than ever, it would be wise to invest in it. Striking while the iron is hot is not cliché-it is way of life for most business executives. Online business travel does not only give you a multitude of opportunities financially, but it could also be one of the business options that can help you change your lifestyle. A lot of people who ventured into business went for this route because of several factors, and we will be sharing them with you in a bit. Before you continue reading, though, it would be best if you will make a mental list of the things that you are looking for in a business, and let’s see if they will be addressed by the next few items we will take you through.First of all, this is a business venture that can completely and absolutely be done from home. Some people are just not cut for office based work, and this is nothing to be ashamed about. It is not just about the long hours spent at the office, but also about the time spend to get to work and back. You could be doing a lot of other things instead! Setting up your business at home also totally eradicates the difficulties a person working in an office usually encounters, such as difficult coworkers, and a difficult boss. By mounting your own business, you practically become your own boss.Another factor to consider is the financial independence this type of business could give you. Gone are the days when you have to blindly wait for an evaluation or a promotion just to get a raise. By putting up your online business travel, you call the shots. Meaning, you get to dictate what the future has in store for you financially, but simply determining how much money you want to invest. It is not a simple task, but the birthing pains can definitely give you better options that you could only dream of in a corporate job. In a nutshell, financial stability is not a goal that you get at the very end, but more like along the way if you choose to invest in a travel business.Lastly, this type of business is living up to its name – the 8-trillion dollar industry, because people are investing more and more here, every year. We know you also noticed how some people in your network have suddenly had that inclination to travel. This, among others is an indication that the travel business is booming. If you are worried about risks, there is very little of that in the travel industry. Even someone without a business background can tell that this kind of exponential growth is one of the key factors in a successful business, and at the rate the travel industry is going, things are only bound to get better.With this run-down of the top line benefits of online business travel, we hope that we helped you realize how much gain you will have should you choose to invest in this industry. Of course, there is always room for more information, so if you feel like reading up on this, visit http://www.bestonlinebusinesstravel.com.
Diversification In the UK Construction Industry
We might all be hoping for a recovery but unfortunately it looks to be some way off. However there may be a silver lining as the western world begins to recognise that economies driven by credit fuelled consumer spending may not be the way to go after-all! There’s a real need for a diversification strategy in the construction industry as well as the wider economy.UK Prime minister David Cameron said in his speech at the conservative party conference this week that Britain needs to get ‘making things again’ which to me seems finally to be a recognition that the economy needs to undergo a fundamental re-balancing.Our Skewed EconomyUnbelievably, consumer spending currently constitutes approximately two thirds of UK GDP. With the strain on household spending power (as a result of the cuts/crunch) likely to continue for a number of years we are left with little hope of a quick return to the good times. It’s a real shame therefore that, as it stands, we don’t have the option to turn to our manufacturing sector in order to export our way back to prosperity having spent the last forty years dismantling it.Whilst things aren’t going to change over-night, in the longer term, the re-balancing and diversification strategy that Cameron alluded to presents opportunities for the construction industry. Reviving our manufacturing sector will require the construction of new infrastructure, warehousing, factories, and plant facilities for example.A revival in the Industrial sector would be a good thing for the UK construction industry. Every consultancy and contractor has some involvement in industry projects; it’s simply that these teams have been overshadowed in recent years by the size and growth of commercial and property teams.Balancing ConstructionMany firms in the industry that have suffered redundancies have done so because of their over reliance on the ‘boom sectors’ that subsequently have turned to bust. The effects could have been alleviated had these firms been better diversified across sectors. At the same time it makes sense to go where the work is, and so for the construction industry to be better diversified it must come as a follow on from better diversification in the economy as a whole.So we’re in for a painful few years yet but if they lead to a sound diversification strategy being put in place that leads to a better balanced construction sector as well as the economy as a whole then this can only be a good thing for the future.