# Turning Waste Into New Products And Packaging With Overlay Capital's Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-838586/turning-waste-into-new-products-and-packaging-with-overlay-capital-s-elizabeth-blankenship-singh
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-838586/turning-waste-into-new-products-and-packaging-with-overlay-capital-s-elizabeth-blankenship-singh.md
Podcast: [Sustainability In Your Ear](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-838586)
Published: 2026-01-12T11:50:07+00:00
Episode link: https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-turning-waste-into-new-products-and-packaging-with-overlay-capitals-elizabeth-blankenship-singh/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69393672/siye_interview_overlay_capitals_elizabeth_blankenship_singh.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2611

## Resource

Read a transcript of this episode . Subscribe to receive transcripts. What we call waste is really just misallocated feedstock—raw materials waiting to be cycled back into the next generation of products and packaging. According to research by the World Economic Forum and United Nations Development Programme, the circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in new global value by 2030, and investors are racing to capture part of that opportunity. Meet Elizabeth Blankenship-Singh, Director of Innovation at Overlay Capital , an Atlanta-based alternative investment firm whose Waste and Materials Fund is backing both early-stage materials innovators and later-stage recycling operations with established infrastructure. Overlay's strategy involves investing in innovation and implementation simultaneously—in both startups and established companies—to accelerate progress across multiple layers of the circular economy. It offers a window into where smart money sees the materials transition heading. Elizabeth explains that sortation is the biggest bottleneck at the materials recycling facilities (MRFs) your garbage and recycling are sent to after curbside collection. The U.S. is simultaneously the world’s leading exporter of scrap aluminum and the number one importer of finished aluminum, because we've lacked domestic sorting capacity. Overlay has invested in companies like AMP Robotics , which recently closed a 20-year contract with SPSA, a southeastern Virginia municipal authority, to sort all recyclables from four to five cities using AI-driven systems. When you fix sortation, she says, you trigger a domino effect: recycling rates climb, landfill life extends, and margins improve as higher-purity materials command premium prices. Overlay's portfolio also includes next-generati…

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## Transcript

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