A bird's eye view of one of REMONDIS's many compost facilities (here: in the Netherlands).

It has long been common knowledge that compost makes soil more fertile. Now we are also learning what an important role it plays in protecting the climate. Compost helps to increase the soil's nutrient and humus content, allowing more of the carbon to be stored. But how does this happen? During their growth, plants absorb CO2 and discharge it into the soil through their roots in the form of carbon. Microorganisms then break down this carbon, which stays in the soil, creating the soil's organic component known as humus. The more humus in the soil, the more CO2 can be stored - not just in uncultivated land, but also where it is used for forestry and farming purposes.

The REMONDIS Group currently produces some 800,000 tonnes of RAL-certified (fresh matter) compost for the agricultural sector each year. A single tonne of this compost makes it possible to store roughly 260 kilograms of CO2 in average conditions.

Green buses drive on the streets of San Diego. © San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)

Mitigating climate change will require far-reaching changes to the transportation sector, as well. REMONDIS stands ready to make public transportation greener and is taking strides forward with our family member, Transdev. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is writing a new chapter in its 13-year partnership with Transdev: MTS is reaffirming its trust in Transdev’s US subsidiary by entering into a 10-year, €750 million contract that will see Transdev provide bus operation services on 52 of 95 routes from MTS bus divisions in Chula Vista and El Cajon. In FY 2020, 19.5 million passengers travelled on these routes. One of the main priorities of the contract will be to help MTS switch to a zero-emissions bus fleet with the roll-out of MTS's new all-electric Iris Rapid route in 2022, the addition of overhead infrastructure to charge electric buses and getting involved in MTS's pilot initiatives for zero-emission buses on routes in the South Bay and East County. Transdev will provide a sense of continuity for local residents, too, having operated in San Diego since 1996.

"This is great news for MTS and for our riders," said Nathan Fletcher, MTS Board Chair and District 4 County Supervisor, adding "the Transdev team is a reflection of the diverse communities we serve in the South Bay and East County. They are a big part of the MTS family and will play an important role as MTS converts to a zero-emissions bus fleet. Transdev partners with transit systems all over the world, and brings that great experience and depth in providing transit services, including a long history with MTS."

Manisa factory run by © Mitsubishi Electric Turkey Klima Sistemleri A.Ş.

Resource conservation affects every facet of the manufacturing process, from the design stage to putting recycled raw materials back into the economy. REMONDIS is coming alongside industrial clients to help them to introduce tailormade recycling systems that will set them up for future success. One more example of this kind of cooperation is a contract that Mitsubishi Electric Turkey Klima Sistemleri A.Ş. awarded our company as part of its drive to become a leading green company. Within this partnership, REMONDIS will provide total recycling management services for a 60,000 m² factory that develops and manufactures room air-conditioning units in Manisa, Turkey.

REMONDIS will assist its industrial partner, which aims to make up to 500,000 indoor and outdoor units in this factory each year, in managing material streams such as paper, plastic, wood, metals and electronics generated during the manufacturing and packaging process and putting them back into the economic cycle in the form of recycled raw materials. The world-leading electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer deliberately chose REMONDIS because of our customer portal service, which maps refuse volumes and types in digital form. Mitsubishi Electric Turkey Klima Sistemleri A.Ş. uses this online data to pinpoint areas where improvements might be made to conserve resources at the production stage. The portal also monitors the refuse transports per hour – helping the group to improve its environmental footprint at every stage of the chain.

A strong team stands ready to help customers in Denmark.

Ramping up recycling is just one of the steps that we will need to take on the road to a circular economy. We can make even more progress by opting for clean logistics, including for refuse collection and recycling services. REMONDIS is moving ahead here by buying several new trucks running on natural gas for an extended partnership with Amager Ressourcecenter (ARC), a Danish recycling company jointly owned by the municipalities of Dragør, Frederiksberg, Hvidovre, Copenhagen and Tårnby. Our company will transport up to 23,000 containers plus garden material from nine recycling centres within the municipality of Copenhagen each year – making it one of the biggest contracts of its kind in Denmark. One way that we are working for the future is to deploy environmentally friendly trucks.

REMONDIS will continue collecting glass from underground and overground containers in Frederiksberg Forsyning.

The facility can process different types of production effluent generated at the MAN manufacturing facility. © MAN Truck & Bus SE

Water scarcity is going to be a major issue in the future so every drop counts – in homes and at industrial premises. The commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus SE has trusted REMONDIS to conserve water at its Munich factory since 2005 and has now extended this partnership for several more years. A treatment plant there processes all kinds of water generated during the manufacturing process, including production effluent containing oil, heavy metals and paint particles. This new facility operated by REMONDIS can handle 500 m³ of sewage per day from paintshop operations and was commissioned in 2017 as part of a project to build a new unit to paint drivers' cabs. REMONDIS assisted in the start-up process while continuing to operate the old plant in parallel for several months. REMONDIS has consistently worked to improve the whole process technology and set up smart buffer management. This partnership once again demonstrates REMONDIS's commitment to sustainable industry around the globe.

A new material sorting line is up and running at the Rocklea Resource Recovery Facility in Queensland, Australia.

Sorting technology is key to extracting as much valuable material as possible from refuse streams. After all, accurate sorting vastly improves the quality of recycled raw materials and yields resources that live up to customers' expectations. In an effort to do just this, REMONDIS has incorporated a new sorting process into the Rocklea Resource Recovery Facility near Brisbane, Australia. This technology pairs a finger screen and magnets with a sorting line and picking cabin to recover plastic, cardboard, timber and ferrous scrap from commercial and industrial refuse arriving at the site.

The Rocklea Resource Recovery Facility is helping to increase the recycling rate for commercial and industrial refuse in Queensland as part of a government strategy that includes more ambitious landfill diversion and recycling targets. The location also plays an important role in Australia's efforts to be self-sufficient in recycled raw materials as it prepares to ban refuse exports in the coming years.

These kindergarten children in Minsk had something sweet to open this Christmas (left) in the form of presents (right) handed out on behalf of REMONDIS.

For several years now, REMONDIS has organised a charity event just before Christmas at a kindergarten in Minsk, Belarus. Last year was no exception, and staff enjoyed presenting disabled children with gifts and teachers with a new laptop.

REMONDIS was out and about in Russia as well. This video was shown on television and social media of a refuse truck decorated for the season that travelled the streets, handing out presents to children and brochures about separate collection. Watch this short video to see the lit-up truck in action.

Europe's largest industrial recycling centre and REMONDIS's flagship complex, the Lippe Plant in Lünen.

Our commitment to a sustainable future is perhaps evident nowhere more than at our Lippe Plant in Lünen. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lippe Plant remains open to everyone thanks to a guided virtual tour that includes stops at many of our advanced recycling facilities. Sit back, relax and enjoy this look at what goes on inside our flagship recycling complex by visiting this website.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading about a few of the actions that REMONDIS is taking to help industry, local authorities and communities reduce their environmental footprint - both in the present and the future. From deploying the latest sewage treatment technologies to incorporating new sorting systems, we are pulling out all the stops in our mission to create a cleaner, greener world - one project at a time.