Waste Management reveals new endeavor in the recycling world

The biggest recycler in North America is doing something completely different with recycling technology.

Waste Management CEO Jim Fish told FOX Business they are working with construction company Caterpillar to help operate heavy equipment remotely.

“Imagine today, a piece of heavy equipment sitting on a landfill or at recycle plant that's being operated by an operator," he told Stuart Varney on Thursday. "We're moving towards ... operating it remotely."

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
WM WASTE MANAGEMENT INC. 213.97 +2.20 +1.04%
CAT CATERPILLAR INC. 364.65 +8.26 +2.32%

Fish said as of now, the tests are being conducted only two miles away, but they have plans to increase that distance.

“But no reason you couldn't be 100 or 1,000 miles away operating a piece of heavy equipment from a center, and, and that heavy equipment sitting on the middle of a landfill in the middle of Pennsylvania or somewhere," Fish said.

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Fish said a reason for the big expansion is social pressure to recycle more.

“Historically, [it’s] our second highest return on invested capital business,” he said. “So, people want to recycle, and we want to recycle. And I think you'll see this business technologically moving towards a different type of recycling.”

Waste Management, is based in Houston, Texas, and is the leading provider of waste management services in North America and leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the U.S.

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