COLLABORATIONS
Proof that waste collection systems can also be highly efficient
All around the world, customers are opting to work with REMONDIS to make the very most of its specialist knowledge and technologies. This work is particularly efficient and particularly good at driving forward sustainability when it is involves close collaborations. Such cooperations are beneficial for both local authorities and companies.
We help where we can. And we can do a lot
Our sustainability expertise and our recycling know-how make us a sought-after partner in both the public and private sectors. We not only support local authorities and companies to run a more efficient and more resource-friendly business but also to tackle the important subject of decarbonisation.
From alternative fuels through to sophisticated waste management and recycling concepts – a whole range of partners are making the most of our sustainable solutions.
PPPs mandated to deliver key services – a business model with and for the future
The maths is really quite simple. It is only possible to work sustainably over a long-term period of time if money is continuously invested in new technologies. More often than not, local authorities have not got the funds needed to do this. In addition, they have to provide their local residents with such a wide range of services that it is truly impossible for them to gain in-depth knowledge of all the different fields of business. This has meant that many local authorities have made little progress when it comes to waste management and continue to send their waste for thermal treatment even though the private sector has been operating high quality materials recycling for many years. A public private partnership (PPP), therefore, not only makes sense for local authorities because money is invested by the private sector firm and their businesses are run more efficiently but also because such partnerships clearly improve their carbon footprint.
REMONDIS owns a share in several dozen PPPs that provide key services – incl. the area of waste treatment.
An obvious win-win
The great thing about having a PPP that provides key services is that everyone benefits – the local authorities and their local residents. By supporting towns and regions with our modern technology and perfectly adapted services, we enable them to operate sustainably and cost-effectively. This, in turn, generally means that local fees and charges remain stable. A PPP, of course, also brings about changes – but only if and when they are wanted. Our water management operations demonstrate this really well. Thanks to our expertise in this area, we not only ensure that sewage treatment plants produce clean water and climate-friendly biogas but also prepare local authorities for when they must recover phosphorus – a challenge they will have to face in the future.
Find out more about phosphorus recovery and energy production
Our plant in Hamburg was commissioned to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge ash back in 2021.
REMONDIS runs over 250 treatment plants for local authorities alone – ensuring their recycling and water management operations are of the highest quality.
PPPs delivering key services – a few examples
Our PPP in Frankfurt has also been tasked to deliver key services and is a perfect example of how private-sector support can help local authorities to add value to their municipal businesses and drive forward sustainability at the same time. Our Frankfurt PPP has not only guaranteed to maintain the size of the original workforce, it has also increased the number of its employees over the years. Since the partnership began back in 1995, the number of people working at Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH has grown by 10%. This PPP in Frankfurt is also spearheading the way when it comes to climate-neutral logistics. It has been using six fully electric refuse collection lorries since the middle of 2023. And it is steadily expanding its fleet of electric vehicles. By doing so, we and the City of Frankfurt are setting a clear example of how cities can reduce their carbon emissions and become more climate neutral.
A strong performance with zero emissions: Mercedes-Benz’s special eEconic truck is part of FES’ fleet.
Freiburg is one of the most ambitious cities in Germany when it comes to becoming net zero.
Freiburg, a town situated in Germany’s Breisgau region, has been focusing on its environmental footprint for many years now and is considered to be the country’s ‘Green City’. We play a key role in this here at REMONDIS. Our partnership with Abfallwirtschaft und Stadtreinigung Freiburg GmbH (ASF) sees us setting the standards when it comes to keeping the city clean and recycling its waste. As a result, its municipal waste recycling rate lies at 69%, way over the statutory recycling targets. The environmental footprint of the city’s organic waste is also exemplary. All of the kitchen and garden waste collected in Freiburg is sent for energy recovery and materials recycling at the local biowaste digestion plant. Besides transforming this material into high-quality compost, this facility also produces biogas, which is used to generate climate- friendly energy. Together with REMONDIS, this city is also taking an innovative and sustainable path when it comes to its waste logistics. It began using waste collection lorries run on fuel cells in 2021.
Smooth & reliable operations thanks to us. And not just in the area of environmental protection
No matter where you look practically every company has made a pledge to be sustainable. Being a reliable and competent service provider – especially when it comes to water management – we help make sure that actions follow their words. Working closely with our clients, we offer bespoke, effective solutions as well as comprehensive service concepts – if necessary, we can also plan, build and finance their facilities. While the solutions we develop and the type of collaboration work we perform differ from customer to customer, our goal is always the same: to ensure facilities are safe and reliable and that the highest levels of environmental protection are in place. For the most part, this not only increases sustainability but also creates financial benefits. At the end of the day, companies that run the best operations also handle resources more efficiently and reduce their treatment costs.
Company partnerships – a few examples
Oettinger Brewery (wastewater treatment)
We built one of the most modern wastewater pre-treatment facilities in Europe for the Oettinger Brewery in Mönchengladbach which we now operate ourselves. This facility uses REMONDIS Aqua's patented RE2ENERGY® system that not only ensures that the water is treated and cleaned to a very high standard but also recycles the organic contents in the wastewater to produce energy. Furthermore, the biogas produced by the unit is used to heat the process water. Oettinger's reward for its exemplary environmental protection and energy management performance: being presented with the IHK Energy Efficiency Prize.
Carbon emissions can be cut by up to 2.3 million kilograms each year when the RE2ENERGY® facility is used to full capacity.
DMK Deutsches Milchkontor (wastewater treatment & energy management)
DMK runs a classic dairy business with cheese production facilities at its Altentreptow site as well as an innovative whey processing facility. The wastewater from both their cheese production and whey processing operations contains high levels of pollutants which means it needs to undergo special treatment. REMONDIS Aqua developed the most suitable and most environmentally friendly solution for this work. The majority of the organic pollutants are transformed into biogas in the anaerobic wastewater pre-treatment system which is then turned into electricity in REMONDIS' own combined heat and power plant. In order to make the very most of the potential energy available, the heat generated by the power plant is used for the treatment process (combined heat and power). Moreover, the patented REPHOS® process has been integrated into this system in order to recover the phosphorus in the wastewater. The end result: safe wastewater treatment combined with the highest levels of environmental protection and resource conservation.
Werner & Mertz (a recyclate initiative)
Werner & Mertz is the company behind the Frosch brand, which was one of the very first brands to focus on sustainable, environmentally friendly cleaning products. It also wished the products’ packaging to be just as eco-friendly. This packaging has been developed at and for Frosch in line with the ‘Design for Recycling’ principle and is produced using recycled plastic. The brand or rather the company is being supported by REMONDIS here. We are setting new standards as part of Werner & Mertz’s Recyclate Initiative when it comes to closing the life cycle of plastics. One of its goals is to make its Frosch packaging from recycled plastic pellets that have been produced from the content of the yellow sacks (Germany’s recycling sacks) – i.e. from post-consumer waste – rather than from internal production processes. REMONDIS not only supplies this recyclate but also recycles the plastic beforehand to ensure it is of the required quality. We are also working with Werner & Mertz more generally to further optimise the way plastics are recycled in Germany and Europe as well as to help develop key solutions to overcome the global plastics crisis.
H&M (textile recycling)
In 2023, we launched the joint venture Looper Textile Co. together with the fashion company H&M. The goal of this collaboration is to optimise the way used and unwanted garments and textiles are handled in order to conserve natural resources. This joint venture’s operations cover the whole of the chain – from collecting and sorting the garments, to processing them for reuse. REMONDIS is bringing both its expertise and its plant technology to the table. The medium-term goal is for this joint venture to set up a network of facilities across Europe that will enable garments and textiles to be sorted in the best possible way so that these valuable raw materials can be returned to market for reuse.
Go to the Looper-website
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