Varsha Ramesh Walsh

Navigating Carbon Credits: A Path to an Additional Revenue Stream from Waste Biomass

Varsha Ramesh Walsh, CEO, Offstream

Waste and recycling operators are often sitting on a significant, untapped revenue opportunity: one that turns low-value or costly biomass residues into high-quality carbon credits. From agricultural byproducts and forestry residues to wood waste and organic discards, many materials already moving through waste and recycling systems can qualify for durable carbon removal when managed the right way.

This talk introduces carbon credits in practical terms: what they are, why buyers are paying a premium for durable removals, and how projects like biochar transform waste streams into long-term carbon storage. We’ll walk through the core question most operators have: Is my waste stream eligible? That includes what types of biomass qualify, how counterfactuals are evaluated, and why documentation and traceability matter just as much as the technology itself.

Most importantly, we’ll show how waste-to-value carbon projects can be designed to deliver real climate impact and new, repeatable revenue - without requiring waste operators to become carbon market experts. Using real projects as examples, this session highlights a clear, achievable pathway to monetize existing operations, reduce risks, and unlock a new financial upside from materials you already manage every day.

Varsha Ramesh Walsh is the CEO and co-founder of Offstream. She founded the company after spending five years in the carbon markets as a project developer, broker, and buyer. Now, she focuses on helping carbon project developers streamline reporting and adapt to evolving standards.