Above (from left to right): Arkadiusz Chęciński (President of Sosnowiec), Justyna Orzeł (Vice-President of Carrefour Polska) and Leszek Pieszczek (Managing Director of REMONDIS Poland).

Even though Poland's deposit return scheme is not set to commence until 2025, REMONDIS is already taking steps to prepare for its launch. Our subsidiary EKO-PUNKT has rolled out a pilot scheme with the French supermarket chain Carrefour in Poland. EKO-PUNKT is a comprehensive centre of expertise for packaging. Along with providing licencing services, it covers the entire spectrum from collection and raw material recovery to recycled material supply, packaging design and compliance services - a holistic portfolio of services that spans the entire packaging journey.

The two partners have installed 10 reverse vending machines in shops operated by Carrefour Poland in the towns of Sosnowiec, Rybnik, Kędzierzyn Koźle, Jastrzębie Zdrój, Jaworzno, Chorzów, Gliwice, Katowice, Pszczyna and Zabrze. Customers returning their glass and PET bottles and aluminium cans to the machines will receive a EUR0.03 (PLN0.15) voucher for each item, which they can use to pay for purchases at the checkout that day. Packaging collected at the reverse vending machines will be processed and recycled.

The return scheme is beginning as the country works to meet an EU target for member states to recycle 65 per cent of their municipal refuse by 2035. "Now we are going one step further and, together with EKO-Punkt, we have started a test of the deposit system in 10 Carrefour shops in the Silesian voivodship. We are convinced that this will allow our customers to become even more involved in activities for a clean environment in our country and will have a tangible effect on them," stressed the Vice-President of the Management Board and Secretary General of Carrefour Polska, Justyna Orzeł.

“The project, carried out jointly with Carrefour, aims to give value to household refuse and thus increase the volume sent for recycling, thus contributing to the achievement of the recycling levels set by the European Union,” noted Leszek Pieszczek, Managing Director REMONDIS Poland. If the project goes well, more machines will be added at Carrefour branches elsewhere in Poland.

Below: The dignitaries enjoy trying out the machines for themselves. 

Working together with its Colombian partner Metro de Medellín (49%), the mobility specialist Transdev won a six-year contract from the state-owned Metropolitan Company of Quito Metro (EPMMQ) following an international bidding process. Quito's first metro line will be 22 kilometres long and have the capacity to handle 400,000 passengers each day. It will serve 15 stations - five of which are multimodal, allowing interconnection with other public transportation in Quito - between Quitumbe in the south and El Labrador in the north, via the capital's downtown.

"For the Quito metro, we are proud to bring all our expertise in the operation of high-capacity public transportation systems, acquired in numerous networks around the world, from regional trains to metros, tramways and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). This contract to operate the Quito metro contributes to our continued development in South America, where Transdev Group has been operating major bus and BRT networks for many years in Colombia and Chile, with extensive electrification of the fleets underway. We are resolutely committed to decarbonised and sustainable urban mobility, serving the common good," said Thierry Mallet, Chairman and CEO of Transdev Group.

"With this new metro contract in Toronto, Transdev is accelerating its growth in heavy modes and is setting the pace in Canada, where the group is in an expansion phase to assert its positions in multimodal transportation. After the tramway, now the automatic metro, Transdev is strengthening its skills and expertise for the benefit of Canadian communities, to offer sustainable mobility for the common good," says Thierry Mallet, Chairman and CEO of Transdev Group.

Above: A look at REMONDIS's new dismantling line for cooling appliances.

REMONDIS is setting higher standards in fridge recycling thanks to a new dismantling line for cooling appliances at its advanced facility in Lünen, Germany. With a throughput of more than 90 appliances per hour and an average recycling rate of more than 80 per cent, the line is helping REMONDIS provide a recycling solution for some of the more than 3 million refrigerators discarded in Germany each year. “What makes it special is that we can process both household appliances and large appliances from the commercial sector,” comments Gerhard Jokic, Managing Director of REMONDIS Electrorecycling.

The Lünen facility is one of several dismantling centres for cooling appliances that REMONDIS operates across Europe and one of three locations in Germany. It has been up and running since mid-2022 and uses modern technologies to remove pollutants and extract recyclable materials, which are then given another life by metal processors, shredders, iron and aluminium smelters, plastics and glass processors. The centre thus puts 14 fractions back into the production loop.

Above: An artist's image of the cable car that will soon take to the skies above Paris. © Ile-de-France Mobilités / Doppel France

Commuters and tourists will be able to enjoy a unique view of Paris as they travel from Créteil to Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in the future: the first cable car line in the Greater Paris region, Cable C1, is one element of a six-year contract won by Transdev. The mobility specialist was chosen by Ile-de-France Mobilités, the Greater Paris transportation authority, to operate 15 bus lines serving the south-east of the Val-de-Marne department from 1 August 2023 and Cable C1 from 2025.

At peak times, it will take cable car passengers just 20 minutes to travel the 4.5 kilometres from Créteil, the end station of Metro Line 8, to the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges terminal using the new line. The new line will open up the towns of Limeil-Brévannes, Valenton and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and link the metro to the local bus network. Its 105 cabins will accommodate up to 11,000 passengers per day when commissioned, with cabins passing through every 22 to 27 seconds.

Cable C1 will be designed, built and maintained by a consortium made up of Doppelmayr France, Spie Batignolles, France Travaux, Egis Rail and Atelier Schall, under the supervision of Ile-de-France Mobilités. Transdev has aready worked with Doppelmayr to operate the TransMiCable urban cable car in Bogotá, Colombia, since 2018. Transdev will benefit from the support of Compagnie des Alpes, a subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts Group, when operating Cable C1.

This contract also covers 15 bus lines in the region, including five lines that are interconnected to major rail transportation systems via the Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Boissy-Saint-Léger stations and the Metro Line 8 in Créteil.

Above: REMONDIS will clean reusable cups to keep them in the loop.

Since the beginning of 2023, customers visiting one of McDonald’s approximately 1,450 German restaurants have been able to choose between disposable and reusable packaging for drinks and ice cream cups. REMONDIS is playing a key role in the partnership that is making this system possible as the provider of an integrated cleaning process for the reusable packaging. The reusable packaging is available directly in the restaurant for a deposit and can be returned in all German McDonald’s restaurants where customers have their deposit refunded. The end-to-end process, developed by the logistics and supply chain specialist HAVI and McDonald’s Germany, includes every step from developing and transporting cups to their return. In addition to taking back the reusable packaging, HAVI also handles other recyclable materials such as disposable paper cups and cardboard packaging.

As not all McDonald’s restaurants have suitable on-site facilities to clean the reusable packaging, HAVI and REMONDIS have developed scalable rinsing logistics together with McDonald’s Germany. “When setting up these new returnable recycling systems, we are able to rely on our many years of expertise in the field of counting, sorting and deposit clearing of beverage containers. Together with our partners, we are making the reusable economy suitable for mass-market applications and thus making our contribution to waste prevention,” noted Ralf Mandelatz, Managing Director of REMONDIS Recycling. It's another area where we are going one step further to put more raw materials back in the loop - creating a true circular economy.

Below: McDonald's customers can now choose between disposable and reusable cups for their beverages and ice cream. © HAVI Logistics

As countries around the globe look to accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, the need for innovative technologies and partnerships is greater than ever. At REMONDIS, we're working with other companies and local governments to make the small steps that will hopefully add up to a giant leap forward in our efforts to protect the environment, conserve resources and mitigate climate change.