WastAway
WastAway, LLC is a private Tennessee-based green-technology company that converts unsorted municipal solid waste into SE3 coal-replacement fuel, renewable natural gas, soil additives, and composite building materials using its patented high-pressure steam Cellulator system, serving municipalities and industrial fuel offtakers in the U.S. and internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersMorrison, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What WastAway does
WastAway, LLC is a privately held green-technology company founded in 2002 as a subsidiary of Bouldin Corporation (itself founded in 1959 as Bouldin & Lawson), headquartered in Morrison, Tennessee. The company has developed a multi-patented waste-to-fuel processing system that converts unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) into a sterile, carbon-rich feedstock called Cellulate using high-pressure steam chambers known as Cellulators. From Cellulate, the system produces multiple downstream products: SE3 sustainable engineered fuel (a high-BTU coal replacement of approximately 9,000 BTU/lb), renewable natural gas (RNG) via anaerobic digestion, biofuels through gasification and pyrolysis, soil enrichment additives for horticulture, and composite building materials via patented extrusion processes. The system achieves 85-90% landfill diversion in roughly 30 minutes of processing time, supported by 27 U.S. and international patents and EPA Non-Hazardous Secondary Material (NHSM) designation for SE3.
The business operates through enterprise field sales targeting municipalities, city councils, cement kilns, power plants, steel mills, and pulp mills, with a parallel technology licensing and equipment supply channel for international deployments. WastAway generates revenue from tipping fees on waste processed, sales of recovered ferrous and non-ferrous metals, SE3 fuel offtake agreements, RNG, carbon and renewable energy credits, technology licensing and equipment sales, soil additives, and composite building materials. Its flagship Morrison, Tennessee plant has operated continuously since June 2003 and serves as both R&D facility and Worldwide Training Center. The company maintains equipment manufacturing in McMinnville, TN through a Bouldin & Lawson subsidiary, corporate offices in Brentwood, TN, and wholly owned subsidiaries including WastAway Services, LLC, Composite Products of America, and WastAway Services Canada.
WastAway's customer base consists predominantly of government and municipal entities (Warren County TN, Murfreesboro TN, Kern County CA, Aruba, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bucaramanga Colombia, Drayton Valley Canada) alongside a small number of industrial and military deployments. With 51-100 employees, two major domestic plants in advanced planning (Murfreesboro at ~$110M and Kern County at ~$105M), active international project development, and a new CEO appointed in November 2025, the company is positioned at an inflection point from a single-plant operating history toward multi-plant scaling in the U.S. and selected international markets.
WastAway firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WastAway
- Legal name
- WāstAway, LLC
- Website
- https://wastaway.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- WastAway, LLC is a private Tennessee-based green-technology company that converts unsorted municipal solid waste into SE3 coal-replacement fuel, renewable natural gas, soil additives, and composite building materials using its patented high-pressure steam Cellulator system, serving municipalities and industrial fuel offtakers in the U.S. and internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WastAway industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste-to-Energy Technology and Systems
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators (562213)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Waste-to-Energy (Incineration/RDF) & Landfill Gas Recovery (IMAIAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration (Mass-Burn) (EUAAAKAA), Waste-to-Energy (WtE) Incineration & Power/Heat Generation (EUAIACAG), Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration & Energy Recovery (EUACAIAA)
Keywords
Where WastAway is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Morrison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
WastAway business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tipping Fees: Fees charged to municipalities and waste generators for processing their municipal solid waste. This is a recurring revenue stream based on tonnage processed.
- Metal Recycling Sales: Revenue from sale of recovered ferrous and non-ferrous metals (iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, brass, nickel, tin) extracted during the MSW processing.
- SE3 Fuel Sales: Sale of the high-BTU sustainable engineered fuel (SE3) as a coal replacement to cement kilns, power plants, steel mills, pulp mills and other solid fuel consumers. Revenue from fuel product offtake agreements.
- Renewable Natural Gas (RNG): Revenue from renewable natural gas produced through anaerobic digestion, sold as the purest form of natural gas for energy production.
- Carbon Credits: Revenue from sale of carbon credits, greenhouse gas credits, and renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by displacing fossil fuels with sustainable fuel products.
- Technology Licensing and Equipment Sales: Revenue from licensing WāstAway technology and selling processing equipment to municipalities, governments, and private operators internationally.
- Soil Additive Sales: Sale of Cellulate as a topsoil or soil enrichment additive for nursery, greenhouse, and agricultural industries.
- Composite Building Materials: Revenue from composite building materials created through patented compression and extrusion processes using Cellulate.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Small-scale plants (100 tons/day capacity) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Standard plants (400 tons/day capacity) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Large-scale plants (1,000 tons/day capacity) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | International/Island Facilities |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels12 records
WastAway product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WastAway designs, manufactures, and operates multi-patented waste-to-fuel processing systems that convert unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) into clean-burning sustainable engineered fuel (SE3), renewable natural gas, soil enrichment additives, and composite building materials. Its core Cellulator technology processes MSW into sterile Cellulate feedstock in approximately 30 minutes, achieving 85-90% landfill diversion. The company sells plant systems and licenses its technology to municipalities, governments, and industrial fuel consumers.
Product overview
WāstAway offers a multi-patented waste-to-fuel processing system that converts municipal solid waste (MSW) into multiple sustainable products. The core Cellulator technology transforms MSW into Cellulate feedstock, which then branches into distinct product lines: SE3 sustainable engineered fuel (high-BTU coal replacement), Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) via anaerobic digestion, biofuels through gasification and pyrolysis, soil enrichment additives, and composite building materials through extrusion. The system achieves 85% landfill diversion, processing 400 tons of MSW daily per plant while producing negative carbon footprint products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SE3 Sustainable Engineered Fuel A high-BTU coal replacement fuel derived from processed municipal solid waste, delivering over 9,000 BTUs per pound with consistent performance for cement kilns, power plants, steel mills, and pulp mills. Designated by the EPA as non-waste fuel with Non-Hazardous Secondary Material (NHSM) status.
- Cellulate Feedstock The sterile, pathogen-free, odorless, carbon-rich feedstock produced through the WastAway Cellulator process, serving as the basis for SE3 fuel, soil enrichment additives, and composite building materials.
- Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Sustainable natural gas produced through anaerobic digestion of Cellulate feedstock, representing the purest form of renewable gas generated from municipal solid waste for grid injection or commercial sales.
- Biofuels Liquid and gaseous fuels produced through gasification and pyrolysis of Cellulate feedstock for use in various industrial and energy applications.
- Soil Enrichment Additive Pure Cellulate used as topsoil or soil additive for nursery, greenhouse, and agricultural applications, designed to reduce water consumption while enriching soil.
- Composite Building Materials Next-generation building materials created through patented compression technologies and extrusion processes using Cellulate, targeting construction, home improvement, and DIY applications.
- WastAway Waste-to-Fuel Processing System (Cellulator Technology) A modular, multi-patented waste-to-fuel processing system based on Cellulator high-pressure steam technology chambers. Sold and licensed to municipalities, governments, and private operators globally, with capacities ranging from 100 to 1,000 tons per day.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85-90% landfill diversion achieved per plant
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use WastAway
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WastAway technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
WastAway partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- SWANA RConminorWāstAway to participate in SWANA RCon conference Sept 29-Oct 2 in St. Louis, Missouri. Company conducted plant tours during 2018 WasteCon for over 50 solid waste professionals.
- WasteExpominorWāstAway exhibited at WasteExpo 2025 (May 6-8, Las Vegas) as major exhibitor in Booth #814, showcasing waste-to-fuel conversion technology at North America's largest trade show for solid waste and recycling.
- Mad GeniusminorCreative agency that designed WāstAway's new website launched March 2025. Also designed the company's updated logo in 2024. Partnership began in 2024 for branding work.
- UT Vitalogic RSUminorWāstAway selected as equipment and technology supplier to UT Vitalogic RSU for the Bucaramanga, Colombia municipal solid waste project. Project goal to reduce landfill waste and convert to renewable energy fuel.
- Bouldin CorporationcoreWāstAway was founded in 2002 as a subsidiary of Bouldin Corporation, which began in 1959 as Bouldin & Lawson. Bouldin Corporation manufactures agricultural and horticultural machinery and provides corporate infrastructure and investment for WāstAway. Bouldin & Lawson manufactures WāstAway equipment at its McMinnville, TN facility.
- Southeast Recycling Conference (SERC)minorWāstAway participates as sponsor, exhibitor, and presenter at SERC annual conferences. CEO Steve Napolitan spoke on the panel 'Discovering New Revenue Streams Through Green Technologies' and company exhibited at Booth #32.
- International Biomass Conference & Expo (IBCE)minorWāstAway is sponsor, exhibitor, presenter, and moderator at IBCE. CEO Napolitan delivered panel 'Tap into the Trillion Dollar Waste-To-Fuel Revolution' and hosted plant tours for conference leaders.
- Biogas AmericasminorWāstAway participates in Biogas Americas conference (May 18-21 in Detroit), the largest biogas and RNG conference and trade show in North America.
- Battelle Memorial InstituteminorThird-party research partner that conducted testing and validation of WāstAway technology. Hundreds of studies conducted on the inert nature of Cellulate as a viable and sustainable fuel.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CERL)minorConstruction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) issued report recommending Army proceed with deployable WāstAway system. Technology developed with research arm of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Alpine Energy GroupminorWāstAway joined Alpine Energy Group as guests at Caribbean Water and Wastewater Conference featuring their energy from waste project for U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council (TAEBC)minorWāstAway sponsored Episode 25 of TAEBC's 'Energizing TN' podcast featuring CEO Mark Brown discussing Murfreesboro plant plans and company's waste-to-fuel technology.
- U.S. Virgin Islands Waste Management AuthorityminorVIWMA partnered with WāstAway technology to transform island's municipal solid waste into fuel for 16 MW and 33 MW power plants.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WastAway competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Brightmark Energy: Brightmark Energy develops and operates waste-to-energy and plastics-to-fuel projects, including MSW processing for renewable natural gas. Emerging player with overlapping MSW-to-RNG pathway compared to WastAway's anaerobic digestion RNG output stream, targeting similar industrial and utility offtakers.
- Sierra Energy (subsidiary of Caphenia): Sierra Energy is developing gasification systems to convert waste into synthesis gas for fuels and chemicals at distributed municipal-scale plants. Comparable emerging technology player to WastAway, with overlapping MSW-to-fuel approach and municipal customer focus, but earlier in commercial deployment.
Broad incumbents
- Republic Services, Inc. Republic Services is one of the largest US solid waste haulers with landfill, recycling, and renewable energy projects; municipal customers overlap heavily with WastAway's target market. Comparable as an incumbent operator against whom WastAway's landfill-diversion technology competes for municipal solid waste offtake contracts.
- Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management is North America's largest waste services company with MSW collection, transfer, landfill, recycling, and waste-to-energy/renewable energy operations. Broad incumbent overlap with WastAway on MSW intake and landfill diversion customers, but at vastly larger scale and with a fundamentally different collection/landfill-centric model.
- Wheelabrator Technologies: Wheelabrator operates waste-to-energy facilities in the US using mass-burn incineration, providing energy disposal services to municipal customers. Comparable to WastAway in serving municipalities facing landfill constraints, competing for the same procurement processes and downstream energy markets.
- Covanta Holding Corporation: Covanta is the largest pure-play North American operator of waste-to-energy (mass-burn incineration with energy recovery) facilities serving municipalities. It is broadly comparable to WastAway because both convert MSW into usable energy at scale for municipal customers, though Covanta uses mass-burn incineration rather than WastAway's Cellulation/RDF pathway.
Direct peers
- Sustane Energy: Sustane Energy (Canadian) produces refuse-derived fuel pellets and engineered fuels from MSW using proprietary drying and densification technology, supplying cement kilns and power plants. Direct small-mid scale competitor to WastAway in the MSW-to-solid-fuel niche with overlapping industrial customer base and municipal contract structure.
- Enerkem Inc. Enerkem converts municipal solid waste and other residual waste into renewable fuels and chemicals via gasification technology, selling to municipalities and fuel offtakers. It is the closest direct competitor to WastAway because both produce drop-in fuels (methanol/biofuels vs. SE3) from unsorted MSW using proprietary thermal conversion technology with comparable 20+ year technology development arcs.
- RePower South: RePower South processes MSW into high-BTU engineered fuel pellets sold to industrial users including cement kilns and utilities. Closely mirrors WastAway's SE3 sustainable engineered fuel business model, single-stream processing, and municipal landfill diversion focus, and competes for the same downstream industrial fuel offtake contracts.
- Fulcrum BioEnergy: Fulcrum BioEnergy converts municipal solid waste into low-carbon transportation fuels (synthetic crude, renewable diesel feedstock) through gasification and Fischer-Tropsch technology. Comparable to WastAway as a technology-driven MSW-to-fuel company developing large-scale commercial plants with long municipal offtake arrangements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WastAway social profiles
Digital presenceWastAway financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WastAway leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
WastAway subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
WastAway funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WastAway M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WastAway
What does WastAway do?
WastAway designs, manufactures, and operates multi-patented waste-to-fuel processing systems that convert unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) into clean-burning sustainable engineered fuel (SE3), renewable natural gas, soil enrichment additives, and composite building materials. Its core Cellulator technology processes MSW into sterile Cellulate feedstock in approximately 30 minutes, achieving 85-90% landfill diversion. The company sells plant systems and licenses its technology to municipalities, governments, and industrial fuel consumers.
Is WastAway a public or private company?
WastAway is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was WastAway founded?
WastAway was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is WastAway based?
WastAway is headquartered in Morrison, United States, in the North America region.
How does WastAway make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Tipping Fees are the primary driver. The others are metal Recycling Sales, SE3 Fuel Sales, renewable Natural Gas (RNG), carbon Credits, technology Licensing and Equipment Sales, soil Additive Sales and composite Building Materials.
Who are WastAway's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Brightmark Energy and Sierra Energy (subsidiary of Caphenia). Broad incumbents are Republic Services, Inc., Waste Management, Inc., Wheelabrator Technologies and Covanta Holding Corporation. Direct peers are Sustane Energy, Enerkem Inc., RePower South and Fulcrum BioEnergy.
Does WastAway have an API?
No public API is recorded for WastAway.
What industry is WastAway in?
WastAway's product category is Waste-to-Energy Technology and Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAFAK, Waste-to-Energy (Incineration/RDF) & Landfill Gas Recovery, with a secondary code of EUAAAKAA, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration (Mass-Burn). Its NAICS code is 56292 and its SIC code is 4953.