What Earthworks Industries does

Earthworks Industries Inc. (TSX-V: EWK, OTCQB: EAATF) is a Canadian publicly traded holding and development company founded in 1993 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For over two decades the company's primary development project was the Cortina Integrated Waste Management facility on 443 acres of the Cortina Rancheria in Colusa County, California — an integrated waste handling system comprising a Class III landfill (16 million cubic yards of disposal capacity, 450,000 tons per year), material recovery facility, composting, and soil bioremediation, with projected $400 million in gross revenues over a 39-year project life at $30-$35 per ton disposal fees. After nearly two decades of regulatory development and legal disputes, the U.S. Department of Interior's Board of Indian Appeals upheld termination of the Cortina lease in 2025, and the company decided not to pursue further appeals.

In response, Earthworks executed a strategic pivot into critical minerals recycling and recovery through the May 2026 acquisition of 100% of the intellectual property of Wokaura Art and Innovations Inc. The Critical Minerals Recovery System combines modular physical processing architecture with a proprietary cloud-based digital operating layer, targeting urban mining, legacy mine tailings reprocessing, copper recycling (initial pilot in British Columbia's Lower Mainland), and expansion into precious metals, battery metals, rare earth elements, and defense-related materials. The company is currently under a Management Cease Trade Order from the British Columbia Securities Commission due to delayed audited financial filings for fiscal year ended November 30, 2025. As a pre-revenue development-stage entity, Earthworks has funded operations through a series of small private placements totaling approximately CAD $5.1 million since 2020, with North Bay Corporation holding a 10% equity stake following debt-to-equity conversion.

Name

Earthworks Industries

Legal name

Earthworks Industries Inc.

Website

https://earthworksinc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Earthworks Industries Inc. is a pre-revenue Canadian public holding company that lost its primary Cortina waste management project in 2025 and has pivoted to critical minerals recycling and recovery via the Wokaura IP acquisition, targeting urban mining and legacy tailings reprocessing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Integrated Waste Management Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Remediation Services (56291)

SIC

Metal Mining (1000), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items) (EUAIADAL), Rare Earths Separation & Refining (Oxides/Metals) (IMAKAFAH)

Keywords

• Integrated waste management
• Critical minerals recovery
• Landfill operations
• Material recovery facilities
• Urban mining technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Waste Disposal and Landfill Services: Primary revenue stream from landfill operations at the Cortina facility. The 443-acre site has approximately 16 million cubic yards of disposal capacity with handling capacity of 450,000 tons per year. Revenue generated from disposal fees at approximately $30-$35 USD per ton.
2. Recycling and Material Recovery: Revenue from material recovery facility processing recyclable materials. Additional revenue streams to be implemented in phases using existing cash flows from landfill operations.
3. Composting and Fertilizer Production: Revenue from organic waste processing and fertilizer sales from composting operations. Part of the zero-waste strategy to maximize revenues and extend facility life.
4. Energy Generation: Revenue from power generation through operating an on-site power plant. Auxiliary benefits include reduced environmental compliance costs and potential electricity sales to nearby communities.
5. Critical Minerals Recovery: Strategic pivot into critical minerals recycling and recovery from urban mining, legacy mine tailings, and industrial scrap. Initial focus on copper recycling with expansion into precious metals, battery metals, rare earth elements, and defense-related materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Earthworks Industries Inc. is a Canadian publicly traded holding company that develops and operates integrated waste handling infrastructure (landfill, material recovery, composting, and soil bioremediation) and has acquired a Critical Minerals Recovery System for recycling and recovering critical minerals from secondary and legacy material streams via modular processing and a cloud-based operating platform.

Product overview

Earthworks Industries Inc. operates as a waste material management and resource recovery company with two primary focus areas: (1) its legacy Cortina Integrated Waste Management (CIWM) subsidiary project in California, which encompasses landfill, composting, recycling, and energy generation capabilities, and (2) its newly acquired Critical Minerals Recovery System—a full-stack platform combining modular physical processing infrastructure with a cloud-based digital operating layer for urban mining, legacy mine tailings reprocessing, and modular metals recovery. The company is transitioning its strategic focus toward critical minerals recycling and recovery while continuing to develop its California waste management operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Critical Minerals Recovery System: Full-stack platform for recycling and recovery of critical minerals from secondary and legacy material streams, combining modular physical processing infrastructure with a cloud-based digital operating layer.

Products and services

• Cortina Integrated Waste Management (CIWM) A wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary project that operates a 443-acre integrated waste handling facility including a Class III landfill (with approximately 16 million cubic yards of disposal capacity and 450,000 tons per year handling capacity), a material recovery facility, a composting facility, and soil bioremediation operations, with planned on-site power generation. Targeted at government, tribal, and municipal waste authorities and industrial/commercial waste producers in rural and northern California.
• Critical Minerals Recovery System Full-stack platform for recycling and recovery of critical minerals from secondary and legacy material streams, combining modular physical processing infrastructure (urban mining, legacy mine tailings reprocessing, industrial scrap recovery) with a proprietary cloud-based digital operating layer. Deployed via a hub-and-spoke model enabling repeatable facility installations near source material. Initial focus is copper recycling with planned expansion into precious metals, battery metals, rare earth elements, and defense-related materials. Targeted at mining companies, manufacturers, defense contractors, and battery/critical minerals producers seeking domestic supply.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projected $400 million in gross revenues over 39-year project life from waste management operations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Wokaura Art and Innovations Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2026Earthworks acquired 100% of Wokaura's intellectual property for the Critical Minerals Recovery System. The acquisition includes urban mining technologies, modular processing architecture, cloud-based operating platform, and all associated documentation and trade secrets. Consideration is up to 6,000,000 common shares structured across signing milestones and performance-based tranches tied to system commissioning, IP expansion, commercial revenue, and permitting.
• Chad McMillan / McMillan StrategieskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Engaged as Strategic Advisor pursuant to advisory agreement dated April 25, 2026. McMillan Strategies will provide advisory and consulting services for one year. Compensation includes $60,000 upon qualifying financing of at least $125,000, plus $5,000 per month thereafter. Also entitled to finder's fees for transactions introduced to the company.
• Giulio BonifaciokeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2024Appointed as Director effective January 22, 2024, resigned January 31, 2026. Brings over 35 years of experience in senior executive roles in mining industry. Previously served as Director from 2002 to 2013. Appointed Strategic Advisor and continues in advisory capacity.
• Louis RattokeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2018Appointed to Advisory Board in 2018. Brings over 25 years of experience in solid waste and recycling business (company acquired by Recology of San Francisco in 2017). Provides strategic insight and industry connections in municipal waste handling sector.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Li-Cycle Corp: Public critical minerals recycler operating a hub-and-spoke network for lithium-ion battery and electronics materials recovery. Closest strategic analog to Earthworks' Wokaura-acquired modular platform, including its urban mining and secondary-stream thesis.
• Redwood Materials: US-based battery materials and critical minerals recycler (founded by JB Straubel) building large-scale, vertically integrated facilities for end-of-life electronics and battery scrap. Directly comparable to Earthworks' urban mining and modular processing approach.
• Cirba Solutions: North American e-waste and battery materials recycler operating materials recovery infrastructure for ITAD, electronics, and lithium-ion streams. Strong overlap with Earthworks' secondary-stream, modular recovery focus.
• American Battery Technology Company: US-listed developer of critical minerals processing for battery materials, including primary resources and battery recycling. Highly comparable to Earthworks' stated expansion into battery metals recovery from secondary and legacy streams.
• Schnitzer Steel Industries: Established metal recycling and scrap processor with end-to-end collection, processing, and finished product capabilities, now owned by Radius Recycling. Strong peer via Earthworks' metals recovery from industrial scrap and secondary streams.

Regional players

• Recology: San Francisco Bay Area integrated solid waste and recycling company specifically referenced in Earthworks' history (acquired Cortina-related waste assets). Peer via the legacy CIWM integrated waste handling business model Earthworks originally pursued.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American integrated solid waste, recycling, and landfill operator. Comparable to Earthworks' legacy CIWM landfill/MRF/composting strategy and a benchmark for what scaled waste handling infrastructure looks like.
• Republic Services: Major US solid waste and recycling company offering landfill, MRF, and organics/composting services. Comparable to the integrated Cortina-style waste platform Earthworks originally designed.
• Waste Connections: Large integrated solid waste services operator in North America offering landfill, recycling, and organics capabilities, including in rural California. Closely overlaps with the Cortina project's target customer base and service mix.
• Umicore SA: Global materials technology group with a substantial precious and specialty metals recycling business (including battery materials). Comparable to Earthworks' planned expansion into precious metals, battery metals, and rare earth elements recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdI3s7LRUQr1gqCh6eLvW_A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earthworks-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earthworks Industries