2023 REMONDIS.COM Family businesses: A steadying anchor in turbulent times

L A I R O T I D E Dear Readers Hardly a day has gone by this year without the me- dia mentioning artificial intelligence. This supposedly super smart colleague is depicted either as the greatest opportunity for the human race or as the technology that will spell the end of humanity. There would ap- pear to be nothing in between. Industry players dedi- cated to recovering raw materials prefer to take a more level-headed view and we are, by nature, eternal op- timists. And so we’re already making the most of the detailed information and knowledge acquired by ar- tificial intelligence to improve the way certain types of waste are sorted. AI can do some things better and faster than humans – for example, it can recognise outthrow or contaminants passing by it on a conveyor belt moving at three metres per second and pick out materials without making a single mistake. It would be nice though to have a bit more natural intelligence here and there and not just in the area of outthrow. Take a look at what’s happening around the world today – the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, uncontrolled migration, a growth in populism and a disenchantment with democracy and, on top of all this, the impacts of climate change – and it is hard- ly surprising that so many people wish to have more stability in their lives. Maybe this is the reason why family-run companies with a long tradition tend to be so successful. A recent study published by the Founda- tion for Family Businesses [Stiftung Familienunterne- hmen] shows that such firms are particularly good at weathering crises. German family-owned businesses, for example, were not only able to keep their work- forces during the pandemic, they also strengthened their position in many cases. And this very much applies to the RETHMANN Group companies as well. Fortunately, all four sister compa- nies carry out tasks that the EU believes will play a key role in helping to preserve natural resources and curb climate change. Whether it be operating green, climate-friendly technology to recover raw materials from waste, producing and treating our no. 1 foodstuff water, using biogenic residue to generate energy and provide goods for the pharmaceutical and animal feed industries or driving forward net zero mobility in ur- ban and rural areas around the world. We are making the very most of our 90 years of industry experience, our cross-generational stability and our strong invest- ment base to help stabilise the ever more precarious situation that our planet finds itself in. To be able to do all this with and for our many thousands of customers – our employers, so to speak – we need motivated people and qualified staff, pref- erably collaborating closely with one another. Luckily, we have many such people in our teams. You can read about some of them here in this magazine. I very much hope you enjoy reading this latest issue. Yours

“ Simply looking at the current price and raw material crises and the risks they pose to the economy, it should be very clear to everyone in Germany that family enterprises are an anchor of stability in Germany and make a significant contribution to our prosperity. The study shows that family-run businesses have been able to cope better with crises and keep their work- forces together even in turbulent times – and especially in Germany.” Professor Rainer Kirchdörfer, Chair of the Foundation for Family Businesses A creator of jobs & a reliable employer: Family businesses provide job security The labour market in Germany looked dis- mal in 2020, year one of the pandemic. The number of unemployed (on average for the year) rose by 429,000; never before had so many employees been put on furlough. The situation, though, was quite different at the family-run firms. While the overall employ- ment rate in Germany dropped again for the first time in ten years, family companies continued to grow their workforces – despite the Covid crisis and despite the economic downturn. According to the results of the study, the number of people employed in Germany by the TOP 500 family-run businesses increased from 2.82 million to 2.84 million in 2020. Worldwide, companies owned by families grew their workforces from 6 million to 6.04 million employees. Both developments con- firm a trend that the Foundation for Family Businesses had already observed in previous studies: family-owned firms do not cut their workforces when they find themselves facing difficult economic conditions, not even when these impact negatively on their revenues. A strong financial base – in 2020, the equity ratio of the TOP 500 family businesses lay at around 15 percentage points above the general average.

Family businesses are an important economic pillar Firms owned by families, though, not only stand out in times of crises. They also play a significant role in the economy as a whole, especially in Germany. Around 90% of all German firms are family-run enterprises. More than 200 of them generate a turnover exceeding one billion euros. And almost 60% of all jobs in Germany are provided by fam- ily-run companies. Family enterprises have the edge on the international stage as well. According to the EY 2023 Family Business Index, the Top 500 family-owned firms around the globe increased their revenue by an average 14%, which meant that they grew faster than the global economy despite the many crises. Added together, the revenues of the largest international family enterprises lie at over 8 trillion US dollars. Were the world’s largest family-owned firms a na- tional economy in their own right, then they would be the third largest in the world after the USA and China. No. of people employed in Germany by the TOP 500 family enterprises between 2011 and 2020 (in millions) 2.34 2.39 2.45 2.26 2.54 2.60 2.68 2.77 2.82 2.84 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Source: ifm (Mannheim institute researching medium-sized businesses); own calculations Development of the no. of people employed in Germany by the TOP 500 family enterprises between 2011 and 2020 E M P L O Y E E S I N G E R M A N Y ( I N M I L L I O N S ) + 25% 2.26 2.84 + 4% 1.07 1.12 2011 2020 2011 2020 TOP 500 family companies DAX 26 The economic importance of family enterprises in Germany 90% 58% 52% S H A R E O F A L L A C T I V E E N T E R P R I S E S S H A R E O F T O TA L E M P L O Y M E N T S H A R E O F T O TA L S A L E S

An interview with Norbert Rethmann, Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the RETHMANN Group Family – a key to success One thing is clear right away when Norbert Rethmann enters a room: age is not an issue. Practically no one else, apart from the company’s current management team, knows more about the situation and the future prospects of the company – a company founded by his father Josef in 1934 and taken over by him at the begin- ning of the 60s. He handed over the management of the group’s companies, REMONDIS, SARIA and Rhenus, to his four sons, the third generation of entrepreneurs, a while ago. And the fourth generation is already waiting in the wings. Despite doing this, though, he still remains fully committed to the business and is there to pro- vide advice to today’s decision-makers. Norbert Rethmann sees his regular visits to the branches and finding time to talk to the drivers, loaders and other operatives working there as being a natural part of the company’s culture. We met up with him to talk about the secret behind his success. ➜ RE:VIEWS: Mr Rethmann, the Han- delsblatt newspaper and other me- dia published an analysis at the be- ginning of 2023 that clearly showed that German family-run enterprises are more stable and more sustain- able than the well-known DAX companies. They even maintained and grew their workforces during the pandemic. How would you ex- plain this phenomenon? Norbert Rethmann: I’d say that this can primarily be put down to the long-term planning of fami- ly firms as such planning is tradi- tionally cross-generational. The boards of publicly listed companies might only be thinking up to the next press conference about their annual results and tend to focus on the medium term. Their commit- ment and, as a consequence, their ties to the business will eventually come to an end at some time or other. In contrast, people running their own family firm work in the business for the whole of their life and, ideally, hand over the baton to the next generation. RE:VIEWS: No one, though, is born into this world as a successful com- pany manager. What do you think – is there such a thing as an entre- preneurial gene? Family

Dr. Nabila Rabanizada “ Unlike many political organisations, we are obliged as an enterprise to actually take up and face the challenges of a circular economy.” Being one of the leading circular economy companies, we must not only come up with innovative tech- nical solutions. Unlike many polit- ical organisations, we are obliged as an enterprise to actually take up and face the challenges of a circular economy. Just looking at SARIA, there are a whole number of oppor- tunities to transform the separately collected materials into raw mater- ials that can be used by the phar- maceutical industry. This means investing a lot of time and money in research, development and mon- itoring. And we’re not simply talk- ing about doing all this. Our highly qualified staff are actually imple- menting them day in day out. RE:VIEWS: Have you got any other concrete examples? Norbert Rethmann: A whole number – but your magazine is not long enough for them all. I would, though, like to mention two more concrete exam- ples. The first is the new industrial standard that we created a few years back when we developed the novel TetraPhos process that enables phos- phorus to be recovered from municipal wastewater. The City of Ham- burg already operates this system and other councils will follow as the legislator has made it obligatory for phosphorus to be recovered from 2029 onwards. The other is the new recycled product TSR40, a very re- cent example. The steel industry is one of the biggest carbon emitters and has set itself the goal of becoming climate neutral as soon as possible. The idea behind this is to produce steel using green hydrogen. At the moment, though, there is nowhere near enough green hydrogen available to do this that is affordable. The solution – and this is a solution that is also suita- ble for downstream industries that wish to grow the amount of recycled raw materials they use – is to use more high quality scrap steel in their production processes. For this to happen, there must be more products on the market like TSR40, i.e. products of a particularly high quality. We have built a state-of-the-art processing plant on our so-called ‘raw ma- terial island’ at Duisburg Harbour that is able to supply the steel industry with recycled metals that have a level of purity and quality that has never been reached before. Which means providing a sustainable supply of raw materials that has the least impact on the climate. And this is exactly what our company, which has now welcomed its fourth generation, stands for. RE:VIEWS: Mr Rethmann, many thanks for taking the time to speak to us. mily

T he European Union’s package of measures is as ambitious as its title implies and should call to mind the New Deal in the USA. And the name ‘New Deal’ says it all: the goal in both cases was and is to reshuffle the cards. In the 1930s, US Pres- ident Franklin D. Roosevelt was looking to stabilise the US economy and readjust the equilibrium between companies and their workforces. Today, EU Com- mission President Ursula von der Leyen’s aim is for billions to be invested in climate action measures to balance out the interests of the climate, prosperity and growth. And so EU member states must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030. It is by no means certain, how- ever, that this target will be reached. According to the German government’s 2021 Climate Action Report, for example, Germany – Europe’s largest economy – missed its self-imposed milestones in a number of areas. Various fields of action The European Union announced its Green Deal in 2019 as its central project to achieve the global climate goals set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Presented in July 2021, ‘Fit for 55’ was the EU Commission’s first package of measures. The member states, Commission and Parliament agreed on this package’s main content at the end of 2022, although some of it must still be approved by EU committees. What is particularly re- markable has been the determination of Europeans to stick to this path. Brussels has continued to push forward measures despite the Covid pandemic and despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – clear proof of just how seriously climate change is being taken. More seriously than in Germany. The Green Deal Industrial Plan was then added to the overall package in February 2023. This investment programme is the response to the subsidy plans that the USA announced in the summer of 2022 and that Europe fears may lead to industrial and technology firms relocating to the US. Two primary goals of the Green Deal Industrial Plan are to make it easier for funds to be accessed for clean production as well as for innovations in this area. The first field of action included in ‘Fit for 55’ is to tighten up the EU’s climate goal of reducing EU car- bon emissions. The 2030 emissions reduction goal in the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) has been in- creased from 43% to 61%. Furthermore, this trading scheme has been extended to include maritime trans- port and a second ETS is to be set up for transport and buildings. The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is also to be introduced to ensure that the additional burden caused by the emissions trading system does not put companies located in the EU at a disadvan- tage. This mechanism aims to make sure that firms im- porting goods from non-EU countries must adhere to the same environmental standards as European busi- nesses. Secondly, the EU presented its ‘RepowerEU’ plan in order to make progress in the area of energy gen- eration. This plan sets out more ambitious targets to drive forward the share of renewables in the EU. The revised version of its Renewable Energy Directive also includes industry-specific targets for sectors such as transport and buildings as well as district heating and cooling systems. And thirdly, the spotlight is also being turned on the energy performance of buildings, something that had long been put on the back burner because of the finan- cial impact it will have on home owners and tenants. The measures here include introducing minimum en- ergy performance standards for buildings and provid- ing financial help to encourage renovations to make older buildings more energy efficient. 61% ➔ 43% 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 The 2030 emissions reduction goal in the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) has been increased from 43% to 61%.

Ziel ist, dass die Staaten der EU bis 2030 nur noch 55 Prozent der Treibhaus- gase im Vergleich zu 1990 verursachen. Secondly, steps are currently being taken – if only for cost reasons – to reduce levels of energy consump- tion. Over the last ten years, the introduction of a number of useful measures (e.g. energy audits, energy management systems and carbon footprint calculation tools) has highlighted areas where companies can cut their energy consumption; lighting, ventilation and com- pressed air systems are just three common examples. Businesses that have not gathered such data in the past have now begun doing so. This data is key to be able to actually measure how successful they are at cutting con- sumption and to identify which parts of their operations are their most energy intensive. Companies across Ger- many are working hard on this at the moment. And the same is true for the subject of waste heat – something that, for many years, has been the ‘poor relation’ when it comes to decarbonisation. Capturing waste heat so that it can be used in production pro- cesses has not always been a financially or technical- ly viable option. What’s more, there has often been a lack of ideas about how exactly the energy generated by the waste heat can be put to good use. Despite this, many companies are sitting on a treasure chest that just needs to be opened up. Fourthly, firms are thinking seriously about how they can generate their own green electricity. Solar panels enable them to at least cover their minimum re- quirements and, if storage batteries are installed, they can be less dependent on the electricity market and have their own source of electricity that is not tied to market prices. These require a lot of planning, permits have to be applied for and considerable sums of mon- ey have to be invested. In many cases, though, the cost effectiveness of such projects are obvious. The fact that such a step can be used by firms to improve their image and present themselves as a sustainable business also plays a major role here. And so there is much for Germany’s companies to do. But that’s not all: having passed the ‘EnSimiMaV’ [Ordinance on Securing Energy Supply through Me- dium-term Impact Measures], the legislator has made it obligatory for companies to introduce energy-saving measures into their businesses and set out exact spe- cifications about how cost efficiency should be calcu- lated. Shelving a project because of costs is no longer an option. The message is clear: Germany’s firms must help the country reach its climate targets. And the good news here is that the majority of the businesses believe that they will benefit from this in the end as well.

It was inevitable: the circular economy has also been included in the ‘Fit for 55’ package as recycling is an indispensable cornerstone of a sustainable, climate-friendly economy. This package contains measures covering production, consumption, waste management, the development of a market for recycled raw materials, food waste, innovation and investments as well as the monitoring of the circular economy. Herwart Wilms, managing director at REMONDIS, vice president of the BDE [Federal Association of the German Waste Management Industry] and recently appointed vice president of FEAD [European Waste Management Association] and chair of the committee for raw material policies at the BDI [Federation of German Industries], believes that ‘Fit for 55’ will help drive the sector forward. In a recent interview he discussed how the circular economy is intending to reduce its carbon emissions and what tools it can provide to other industries to help them transition to net zero. RE:VIEWS: Mr Wilms, which measures in the ‘Fit for 55’ package do you believe will have the biggest impact on the future of the German economy? Herwart Wilms: The most important measures will cer- tainly be those taken to reform the emissions trading system. The ‘Fit for 55’ package has extended this sys- tem and more sectors must now buy ‘allowances’ if they continue to emit greenhouse gases. The steadily increasing price for these allowances will soon mean that the only business models that will be competitive will be those that emit very few or no emissions. RE:VIEWS: And how will this affect the waste manage- ment and recycling sectors? Herwart Wilms: We had hoped that the thermal treat- ment of waste would also be included in the EU emis- sions trading system but it wasn’t put on the list. The Commission is planning to take a closer look at this and possibly revise their decision in 2028. An oppor- tunity was missed here to introduce both a climate action measure and competitiveness across Europe as well as to take a comprehensive view of waste man- agement – from landfilling, which unfortunately still exists, to incineration, all the way through to mater- ials recycling. In contrast, Germany will be including

RE:VIEWS: Are measures being planned to tackle these issues? Herwart Wilms: The EU is currently working on its sustainable product initiative to revise the Ecodesign Directive. The goal here is to set product design requirements regarding the use of recycled raw materials in products and the recyclability of products. By intro- ducing digital product passports containing specific information about the product, it will also become easier to choose the best way to recycle it. What’s more, the EU is also planning to introduce a label. RE:VIEWS: And what information will be shown on this label? Herwart Wilms: It should show how recyclable a product is and whether recycled raw ma- terials were used to make it. I’d prefer the la- bels to have a traffic light system with green being used for products that are particularly suitable for recycling. RE:VIEWS: So that consumers can see straight away whether they’re buying a sustainable product? By introducing digital prod- uct passports containing specific information about the product, it will also become easier to choose the best way to recycle the waste. Herwart Wilms: Exactly! At the moment, many people would really like to shop sustainably but there are very few ways for them to find out about the recyclability of a product. Such a label is an easy way for consumers to get the information they need. RE:VIEWS: This wish to shop sustainably will certainly have a big impact on the market. Herwart Wilms: Yes, I’m sure it will. We mustn’t forget the public sector either. Local author- ities are already obliged to act sustainably when they buy the products they need. At the moment, however, they don’t have an objec- tive criterion that they can use to prove they are being sustainable and legally compliant. And as long as they don’t have such a criter- ion, those in the public sector in charge of procurement will continue to focus more on cost effectiveness and on saving money and choose the cheapest product. If they’re only allowed to buy products from the green cat- egory in the future, then this will have a huge impact on the market. At the end of the day, the public sector in Germany alone spends 500 billion euros a year. RE:VIEWS: Mr Wilms, many thanks for this really interesting discussion. “ Our sector needs to master the challenge of reducing our carbon emissions and, at the same time, provide other industries with recycled raw materials and optimum recycling systems as both are essential tools for them as they head towards becoming net zero.” Herwart Wilms, Managing Director at REMONDIS

“ Our economy (...) has missed out on billions of dollars in public and private investment in clean energy. But things are changing now.” Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister, and Chris Bowen, Climate Minister Status quo For many years, Australia relied on conven- tional waste disposal systems, i.e. waste was sent to landfill and all recyclable materials were lost forever. While Germany banned the landfilling of municipal waste back in 2005 when it introduced its ‘TASi’ directive [Technical Directive on the Recycling, Treat- ment and Disposal of Municipal Waste], Aus- tralia continued to stick to this particular form of waste disposal. One reason for this was because it needed a number of years to build up the expertise and equipment re- quired to recycle materials for reuse. Australia’s population, however, is growing steadily. The National Bureau of Statis- tics has forecast that the country’s population could grow from the cur- rent ca. 26 million to around 36 million in 2046. And it is only logical that more in- habitants will produce more waste. The state of Victoria, for example, has predicted that its volumes of waste will increase by approx. 55% during the same period. If the situation is the same in the other states, then the vol- umes of waste generated by the whole of the country could reach 90 to 100 million tonnes over the long term.

A F E W FA C T S & F I G U R E S : A U S T R A L I A’ S W A S T E M A N A G E M E N T S E C T O R In the 2020-21 financial year, Australia produced an estimated 75.8 Mt of waste materials 25.2 Mt of building & demolition 14.4 Mt of organics 12.0 Mt of ash 7.4 Mt of hazardous waste 5.8 Mt of paper & 5.7 Mt of metals 2.6 Mt (mainly contaminated soil) cardboard of plastics = equivalent to 2.95 tonnes per capita One particular area that has great potential for Australia is recycling organic waste – from collect- ing and processing food and garden waste though to generating green energy. New South Wales, for ex- ample, has made it mandatory for all organic food and garden waste to be collected from 2030 onwards. The Australian government has also added this to its agen- da and aims to halve the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030. Less waste In an ideal world, the solution would be to reduce the country’s volumes of waste. One of the goals set out in the Action Plan is for the total waste generated in Australia to be cut by 10% per person by 2030. This will be difficult to achieve, though, if it doesn’t have the backing of the general public. Australian policymakers intend, therefore, to get the private sector on board so that they can work together to educate the population on how to ensure recyclables are recovered and re- used. This will be done by providing the general public with comprehensive, up-to-date, economy-wide data so that better consumer, investment and policy deci- sions can be made. The foundations have been laid Even though landfilling continues to be part of Aus- tralia’s waste management infrastructure and little attention is given to thermal treatment, one thing is very clear: Australia has set itself the long-term goal of setting up a circular economy and promoting recy- cling. This can also be seen among the general popula- tion. People across the country are becoming increas- ingly interested in the subject and wish to be involved. Not too long ago, the main worry people had was whether their bin was emptied or not. Now they are asking more and more questions: What happens to my waste? How is it recycled? What impact does this have on the environment? This is certainly a good basis for getting people to support the circular economy. This is also reflected in the Australian government’s new climate policy: it is intending to drive forward this transformation by setting up various public funds and subsidies. The Recycling Modernisation Fund, for example, has been put in place to promote the devel- opment of recycling infrastructure. Analogous to the export ban, the Australian Recycling Investment Fund finances projects that use clean energy technologies to recycle plastics, paper, glass and tyres. And the Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund aims to increase Aus- tralia’s organic waste recycling rate from 49% to 80% by 2030. These are just a few examples that show just how determined Australia is to take the plunge and create a genuine circular economy.

Resource recovery rates (incl. reuse, recycling & energy recovery) in the individual Australian states (2020/2021) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 80% 63% 69% 67% 64% e t a r g n i l c y c e r l a r e n e G a i l a r t s u A h t u o S y r o t i r r e T l a t i p a C n a i l a r t s u A 51% 47% a i r o t c i V , s e l a W h t u o S w e N a i l a r t s u A n r e t s e W 19% n r e h t r o N y r o t i r r e T d n a l s n e e u Q a i n a m s a T As a Paintback partner, REMONDIS has been con- tracted to collect, process and transfer water-based and oil-based paint tins and residues in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Victoria since 2020. The in-house digital team developed a mobile application to track paint collections from pick-up to processing, to identify contaminants at the source. The app is an award-winning example of innovative digitalization in product stewardship in Australia. Moreover, it will continue to be important to push ahead with “Design for Recycling”. Too many prod- ucts continue to be designed without any thought be- ing put into how the product or packaging can be re- cycled. Manufacturers must be made responsible here so that they design sustainable and recyclable prod- ucts. REMONDIS is already working hard to estab- lish eco-design principles in Europe. These can also be transferred to Australia. Removing stumbling blocks For a long time, taking action to mitigate climate change was treated as a secondary issue in Australia. As the country found itself facing more and more ex- treme weather events, however, it became clear that things could not go on like this. Never before has it been such an exciting time for the recycling industry to serve the growing market in Australia. A suitable legislative framework and smart policy decisions will be needed, though, to enable industry players to grow their activities in the best possible way. Speed will be of the essence: it takes much longer to get ‘new’ technologies approved in Australia – even if they have already been tried and tested in Europe. Decisions need to be made more quickly and they need to be better coordinated. This transition can only suc- ceed if the country, the general public and the vari- ous sectors pull together and pursue the same goal: to drive forward Australia’s decarbonisation process as quickly as possible!

Pierre Vasseur is Board Chair of REMONDIS Schweiz AG. We met up with him to talk about the current state and future outlook of the cir- cular economy in Switzerland as well as about the Swiss population’s passion for collecting things. RE:VIEWS: Mr Vasseur, as board chair of the business you are responsible for REMONDIS’ operations in Switzerland. Being an internationally neutral, land- locked country, Switzerland lives a little in the shad- ow of its EU neighbours. Could you give us a brief description of what the circular economy is like in Switzerland at the moment? Pierre Vasseur: Switzerland has a very well established circular economy that closely follows EU legislation and is identical in many areas. It’s also oriented to- wards the waste hierarchy and prioritises the avoid- ance of waste. The Government, industry and the general public all work together closely to minimise waste and optimise the way resources are used. As the Swiss market is deregulated, it is compatible with the EU – something that enables strong collaborations to be created. RE:VIEWS: According to the statistics, every person in Switzerland produces, on average, around 700 kilos of municipal waste. This is considerably more than their European neighbours as the EU average lies around 530 kilos per capita. What do you say to these figures? Pierre Vasseur: Demand for raw materials and con- sumption are closely linked to the economic strength of a country and the purchasing power of its popu- lation. Both are quite high in Switzerland. But, as I mentioned before, Switzerland has a very well-devel- oped waste management sector compared to others. Around 50% of all municipal waste is segregated into over 10 fractions and collected separately. This means we have very high collection and recycling rates.

RE:VIEWS: In Germany, there are over 10,000 public and private sector waste management firms respon- sible for ensuring that residual waste is disposed of or recycled using environmentally sound process- es and that recyclables are recovered from private households, industrial businesses and commercial firms. How is the market set up in Switzerland? Pierre Vasseur: All in all, the circular economy is very much compartmentalised in Switzerland with a large number of small companies and a wide range of ser- vices. At the end of the day, the country has around 3,600 districts that tender out individual waste man- agement services to private sector firms or carry out the services themselves. That is a comparatively large number of districts considering the size of the popu- lation, which lies at approx. 8.7 million inhabitants*. RE:VIEWS: Who is responsible for thermal treatment in Switzerland? Pierre Vasseur: There are around 30 waste incineration plants in Switzerland and these are all run by the pub- lic sector, i.e. by the districts or cantons. Just one ex- ample: the individual waste regions of St. Gallen, Ror- schach and Appenzell collaborate with one another here and run the St. Gallen waste incineration plant together. All mixed municipal waste is sent for thermal treatment in Switzerland and used to generate energy. The recovered energy is either used directly as heat or to produce electricity. “ Switzerland has a very well established circular economy that closely follows EU legislation and is identical in many areas.” Pierre Vasseur, Board Chair of REMONDIS Switzerland *By way of comparison: Germany had a total of 10,789 districts at the end of 2021.

In 2019, we then took over K. Müller AG in Wal- lisellen. This is where we also run the largest house- hold waste recycling centre in Switzerland. And lastly we acquired Chiresa AG in 2022 – a move that has enabled us to offer an even wider range of hazardous waste services, including washing fly ash and cleaning rail tankers. This quick look back at our history shows how compartmentalised the business is in Switzerland and how we have diversified over the years so that we can offer our public sector, commercial and industrial cus- tomers a bespoke, full package of solutions. RE:VIEWS: Is there a particular field of activity that you believe will become more important in the future? Pierre Vasseur: We want to drive forward the circular economy in Switzerland by providing innovative and sustainable solutions. We are, for example, now in- volved in dismantling lithium ion batteries at Chire- sa AG. Our goal here is to give as many batteries as possible a ‘second life’, i.e. to reuse them in secondary applications. We believe there is a great growth po- tential here! “ All in all, I believe that Switzerland is well ahead of others and has a robust, well-organised circular economy.” Pierre Vasseur, Board Chair of REMONDIS Switzerland RE:VIEWS: If you were granted one wish for the future of the circular economy in Switzerland, what would it be? Pierre Vasseur: All in all, I believe that Switzerland is well ahead of others and has a robust, well-organised circu- lar economy. In fact, we’re already considerably more advanced in a number of areas compared to some EU countries. We can already see many recycling oppor- tunities. Some private initiatives, for example, have set up collection schemes for plastics and these should be rolled out across the whole of the country in the future. The set-up of our federal system, however, means that decisions are sometimes made too slowly and are implemented differently across the various cantons. In some cases, I would like to see more coordination be- tween the individual actors as we should all be pulling together and further developing our circular economy together to promote sustainability.

It is a challenging task to ensure that the highest levels of health and safety are in place in a working environment. And this is espe- cially true when it comes to industrial services. At the end of the day, the teams of operatives work in unfamiliar industrial plants, in sensitive environments, high above the ground and in confined spaces – and carry out tasks that are not without risk. BUCHEN and XERVON make the most of all the avenues available to them to make sure that they achieve the best results in such conditions. Take a look below to find out more about their work in the field and their different initiatives – the two of which fit together perfectly. Safety awards are something special. Companies looking to win one of the highly coveted safety prizes awarded by refineries, chemicals firms and other in- dustrial businesses must first prove that they have out- standing safety measures in place. And they must often do this over long periods of time and take part in mul- ti-stage evaluation processes – processes that include unannounced safety audits, involve stringent criteria and expect excellent accident records. This doesn’t seem to be a problem for either BUCHEN or XERVON. These two industrial service providers – united by REMONDIS Maintenance & Services – are presented with well-known awards by their customers almost on a regular basis. These prizes are a mark of recognition that not only attests to the fact that their safety levels go beyond the norm but also confirms the success and positive im- pact of their in-house safety culture. Its special feature: health and safety at work is promoted and driven for- ward by each and every employee. By their QHSE de- partments (quality, health, safety and environment), by all of the other departments and by all of their op- erational units. “Health and safety at work is an in- tegral element of our corporate responsibility and a sign of quality as well. It is a joint task that everyone must support wherever there is the potential to further improve standards,” commented Adrian Wortmann, head of the central QHSE & sustainability department. The following eight examples demonstrate how this is reflected in their everyday working life and what pre- cisely can be done to create safe working conditions. “ Health and safety at work is an integral element of our corporate responsibility and a sign of quality as well.” Adrian Wortmann, Head of the Central QHSE & Sustainability Department

4. Packages of measures. Analogue & digital channels. If employees are unable to access a computer at their workplace, then it is very difficult to contact them digi- tally. This means that hard copies are often the pre- ferred method for providing QHSE information with- in the industrial services sector – and this is also true for the SaferTogether campaign. Just two examples: posters and flyers printed in up to 16 different lan- guages and the credit card-sized LMRA cards. These cards enable operatives to carry out a last minute risk analysis just before they start their work. Before per- forming their first task, they systematically go through a list of questions to check that all the rules and reg- ulations mentioned on the card have been met. If the answer to any of these questions is no, then they may not begin working. Thanks to this campaign, options are being looked at to create alternative digital solu- tions for workplaces that do not have a computer. These include setting up QR codes that operatives can then scan with their smartphones to access informa- tion on the internet. Relevant projects are currently being trialled. If they prove to be a success, then this would mean that the number of operatives who could be reached digitally would be more than doubled. 5. Preparation. Before work starts. One thing is true for both BUCHEN and XERVON: the actual assignments that they are commissioned to do are not carried out at a moment’s notice. The first step they must do is to sit down and plan the work meticulously – a job that includes organising both the operational tasks as well as all safety-relevant aspects. The latter can require a long chain of preparatory steps before an assignment can actually be carried out, especially if high risk tasks have to be performed. Ex- tensive investigations need to be completed to evaluate all conceivable risks, project-related risk assessments have to be compiled and a solution has to be drawn up that sets out all of the required safety measures right down to the smallest detail. A task that often results in this preparation work taking much longer to finish than the actual assignment itself. “ Health and safety have to be lived and experienced and be supported by everyone.”

If so many things have already been done and so many advances achieved, then maybe it is only logical to ask whether and how further progress can really be made. Isn’t the point eventually reached where it is simply not possible to make things safer? Adrian Wortmann commented: “Probably not. Working conditions and environments change, new technologies and findings open up new opportunities. Improving health and safety at work is an ongoing process and it is vital to keep up to date at all times. As far as we’re concerned, enhancing, optimising and innovating equipment will continue to be at the very top of our list of priorities.” 80 QHSE officers & work safety specialists 15 internal auditors 550 first aiders 150 safety officers QHSE organisation

“ We want to put our heads together to discover where there is potential to be creative, to come up with ideas, to evaluate them and then kick- start campaigns and projects to help Frankfurt achieve its goal.” Benjamin Scheffler, Managing Director of FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH Halving volumes of residual waste in 12 years The City of Frankfurt has set itself some ambitious goals. These are certainly attainable, though, look- ing at the broad alliance of institutions taking part in Frankfurt’s Zero Waste Lab. Besides FES Frankfurt- er Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH and the City of Frankfurt, these include the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Frankfurt Uni- versity of Applied Sciences, the Polytechnic Foun- dation of Frankfurt am Main, the ISOE (Institute for Social-Ecological Research), the Frankfurt Food Council, GWR gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für Wied- erverwendung und Recycling mbH, Goethe University Frankfurt and other members of the city’s zero waste scene. All of them are institutions with extensive net- works, contacts and funding potential. “We want to become a zero waste city,” commented Rosemarie Heilig, Frankfurt’s councillor for the climate and en- vironment, naming a number of specific targets. “An- nual per-capita volumes of residual waste must have been reduced from the current 205 kilos to 120 kilos by 2035. What’s more, we are looking to reduce the to- tal volume of municipal waste per person per year by two percent each year.” Having said that, though, it is a long path that the zero waste cities will have to take to halve their volumes of waste. More than 40 million tonnes of household waste are generated across Ger- many every year. If all this waste were loaded onto refuse collection trucks, this would create a convoy of lorries that would completely encircle our planet. WHAT IS ZERO WASTE? Zero waste focuses on conserving all resources by means of: responsible production responsible consumption reuse & recovery of products and raw materials This should be achieved without using incineration or any other treatment methods that may release pollutants. Neither the envir- onment (land, water, air) nor human health should be threatened. Zero waste am Main Halving the volumes of municipal waste within twelve years is going to be a mammoth task and will require some good ideas and concepts. “We want to put our heads together to discover where there is poten- tial to be creative, to come up with ideas, to evaluate them and then kick-start campaigns and projects to help Frankfurt achieve its goal,” explained Benjamin Scheffler, managing director of FES Frankfurter Ent- sorgungs- und Service GmbH, which has taken over a coordinating role at the Zero Waste Lab. And there’s a good reason why FES was given this leading role. This waste management firm has extensive references and in-depth expertise when it comes to implementing practical ways to avoid waste. “We have a successful track record of getting major projects up and running, such as Frankfurt’s #MainBecher cup return scheme and reYOUrS, a scheme that accepts and resells elec- trical appliances that can still be used.” What’s more, FES has a network of more than 400 volunteer litter angels. These ‘angels’ are Frankfurt residents who volunteer to look after a specific stretch of road or green area and keep it clean. The compa- ny provides the volunteers with litter bags, litter picks and gloves and is there to provide advice when need- ed. “Our litter angels also act as multipliers, helping to spread the zero waste mindset throughout their com- munity,” commented Flora Matani, a project manager and coordinator at the Zero Waste Lab. “We’re already making the most of these ties to the local communi- ty.” The Zero Waste Lab is now looking at using the networks of old and new partner institutions to grow these ties with Frankfurt’s residents.

continued. “On the other hand, this power station also delivers an essential and necessary service, namely safely incinerating our household waste, and so it also generates the most direct emissions. Something that simply can’t be avoided at the moment. Having said that, though, the WtE’s direct emissions can also be re- duced. Looking ahead, its carbon emissions will drop as the amount of residual waste produced in Frankfurt falls dramatically in line with the council’s and FES’ goal to become a zero waste city. The next steps for FES’ carbon footprint are already within sight: “Dur- ing this second stage, we will measure the GHG emis- sions of our procurement processes, business trips and the waste produced by our own business so that we can add this to our carbon footprint documentation,” Hoffmann announced. As a joint initiator of the zero waste concept and one of the first businesses to calculate its own carbon footprint, FES is spearheading this movement across the country. The company is demonstrating the huge potential that waste management firms have to help establish a circular economy and actively drive for- ward efforts to protect the environment and curb cli- mate change. ZERO WASTE CITIES: RESHAPING HUMANS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH WASTE Zero Waste Cities is a programme set up by Zero Waste Europe, an association that Zero Waste Germany is also part of. Zero Waste Germany represents and unites German cities and local authorities that have publicly declared their intention to con- tinuously reduce their volumes of waste and integrate the zero waste philosophy into their local waste management economy. These objectives should reshape the relationship humans have with waste. The goal of the programme is to help local councils to transition towards zero waste with ideas and civic engage- ment as well as to recognise their efforts. The programme is targeted at towns and cities of all sizes and covers all sectors of a city, including the city government, waste management, education, events, economy and local action groups. THE GREENHOUSE GAS PROTOCOL The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (aka GHG Protocol) provides a tool that enables businesses, institutions and even towns and countries to measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions. This tool measures emissions generated along the whole of a product’s life cycle as well as throughout the whole of a business activity – and includes both direct and indirect emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol has developed various standards to create a common approach for calculating emissions.

The FES Group’s carbon footprint in t CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions) 2020 2021 Electricity & heat from the biogenic content of general waste (WtE) Indirect emissions from electricity from the grid Emissions from the fleet of vehicles Emissions from buildings and plants (incl. other incineration processes at the WtE) 137,051 134,239 RE:VIEWS: So what set this all in mo- tion? Rosemarie Heilig: We analysed Frank- furt’s waste statistics and took a look at the composition of Frank- furt’s waste by examining its resid- ual waste. We came to a number of conclusions – including those men- tioned above – and realised that not doing anything was simply not an option. RE:VIEWS: How did you manage to get such a wide range of supporters to back the project? Rosemarie Heilig: Frankfurt has been very lucky, thank goodness. A large number of initiatives and social- ly-engaged individuals have been promoting waste prevention and sustainability across the city for a long while now. Many of them have participated in the European Week for Waste Reduction, which is coor- dinated by FES GmbH. Our envir- onment agency has also supported the ‘Aktion Biotonne Deutschland’ or ‘German organic waste bin’ campaign for several years now. We have a wide network of sec- ond-hand shops, unpacked stores, repair café initiatives and people blogging about cutting down on plastic or on zero waste – all of which we can use. The whole pro- ject is, of course, held together and sustained by FES’ waste manage- ment specialists, our environment agency and the Gesellschaft für Wiederverwendung und Recycling, which recycles electrical appliances and runs the Neufundland store. RE:VIEWS: What recommendations would you make for other towns that wish to transition towards be- coming a zero waste city? Rosemarie Heilig: What’s key is to take a detailed look at the town’s current situation: Where are we at? What do we already have? What can we build on? Once you have that, you can then define your goals. If a town wishes to be offi- cially certified by Zero Waste Eu- rope – as we are currently doing – then I would recommend that it contacts them early on. The criter- ia for the certification process can then be integrated into the town’s zero waste concept in good time. RE:VIEWS: What do you think will be the biggest hurdles and problems? Rosemarie Heilig: One of the most difficult tasks will certainly be to make it clear to the city’s residents that it does matter how they han- dle their waste. Many simply don’t think about this at all. We need to raise awareness and make it clear that waste is a valuable resource. RE:VIEWS: How do you personally avoid generating waste? Rosemarie Heilig: I prefer to go shop- ping at local markets and always have my shopping basket with me. I also avoid buying products that are packed in plastic. I buy pasta, rice and flour from the unpacked stores. That way I have far less waste packaging. RE:VIEWS: Ms Heilig, many thanks for taking the time to speak to us.

“ Contrary to some of those sensational headlines in the media, there will always be enough high quality drinking water for the German population. Should the country find itself facing an emergency, then provisions are in place for drinking water supplies to be used to cover the popula- tion’s needs ahead of all other uses.” Robert Ristow, Managing Director of EURAWASSER Nord GmbH The whole of Germany has access to reliable supplies of drinking water and environ- mentally sound wastewater treatment operations. These key services are, for the most part, in the tried and tested hands of public sector companies. And so it’s been ‘busi- ness as usual’ in the water sector in 2023? Far from it. Cities and districts find them- selves facing some truly formidable challenges after the German government passed its National Water Strategy in the middle of March. Why? Because all regional sources of water – our no. 1 foodstuff – must be sustainably secured and rainfall must be man- aged as a key resource to counteract the impact of climate change. RE:VIEWS: Mr Ristow, the theme of this year’s World Water Day, which was held on 22 March, was “Accel- erating Change”. The main goal of this campaign is to achieve clean water and sanitation for all. Can German councils sit back and relax as far as these particular topics are concerned? Robert Ristow: Well let me put it this way: the challenges faced by Ger- many are different to those faced by other countries. I believe World Water Day is a good opportuni- ty to emphasise the importance of water and explain why we can take it for granted that we can get clean water from our taps whenever we need it. Contrary to some of those sensa- tional headlines in the media, there will always be enough high quali- ty drinking water for the German population. Should the country find itself facing an emergency, then provisions are in place for drinking water supplies to be used to cover the population’s needs ahead of all other uses. What we mustn’t do, though, is to turn a blind eye to the high demands being put on local authorities to maintain and further develop their water management infrastructure. Huge investments still need to be made! Private consumption has in- creased massively, especially dur- ing the so-called peak periods. We need to adapt both to these new realities – caused, in part, by cli- mate change – and to the growing impact of anthropogenic trace sub- stances such as PFAS. And that’s not all. I believe that demographic change, the loss of expertise caused by skills shortages and the large number of water suppliers, many of who are very small, could all po- tentially put our secure supplies of high quality water at risk.

RE:VIEWS: One of the goals of the National Water Strat- egy is to have affordable, top quality drinking water everywhere and at all times by 2050. Will collabora- tions have to be set up that go beyond the borders of each individual region to achieve this? Robert Ristow: That would be a move that can only be welcomed. It’s regrettable that we have to experience events, such as a pandemic, a war or climate change, before we start thinking about collaborations. In my opinion, larger and more efficient structures and pub- lic-private joint ventures are best at tackling the after- math of crises. And yes, cooperation work can make supplies more secure, for example when it comes to water. Just one more thing about collaborations, which are primarily being entered into at the moment because the sector finds itself under pressure. These could be a great start for all those involved! What’s impor- tant, though, is that people look at them with an open mind and consider how such collaborations could be strengthened and expanded. And not just cooperation work between different local authorities but also be- tween municipal and private sector businesses. RE:VIEWS: That might also concern the question, then, whether suppliers, who don’t have sufficient resources in their catchment area for their customers, can pro- cure drinking water from beyond their borders. Right? Robert Ristow: Water suppliers don’t just focus on ex- tracting and producing water but also on distributing it by ensuring they have the right infrastructure in place. Having said that, though, it might become nec- essary for some of them – those in the south of Ger- many for example – to procure water from other re- gions. Groundwater levels have certainly recovered in some areas of north Germany. Some regions will definitely have to address the question of whether they must collaborate with oth- ers or not. And, perhaps more than others, they will have to focus on how their water is really being con- sumed. If truth be told, just a fraction of the water be- ing consumed is actually used as drinking water. What needs to be clarified here is whether drinking water really needs to be used for industrial operations. And whether there are opportunities to reuse water here. A broader approach needs to be taken and people with the necessary know-how need to be brought in to help. Innovative, future-proof solutions are being developed in our group and this know-how is passed on so that all of the companies in the group benefit from them.

“ And I think it’s important for water suppliers to join in and help educate the general public. I truly believe it is our duty to do this.” Robert Ristow, Managing Director of EURAWASSER Nord GmbH We are becoming more and more aware of how substances are being released into the environment and the impact they have. It’s up to the politicians to decide whether it’s fair to finance the treatment process via wastewater charges or to get the polluters and/or producers to contribute. RE:VIEWS: Putting all the technical issues to one side, there would also appear to be a need for a completely new level of awareness for water as a resource – our no.1 foodstuff. What changes would you like to see? Robert Ristow: Yes, water is an important ed- ucational topic! Looking at environmental surveys, younger people would appear to have a greater level of awareness overall. That’s something that can only be welcomed. And I think it’s important for water suppli- ers to join in and help educate the general public. I truly believe it is our duty to do this. We, as a company, must discover how to do things better just as final consumers must do. Our business is very different to what it was 30 or 40 years ago. Nowadays, we are talking about the in- tensive use of rainwater. We are talking about realising that swimming pools perhaps shouldn’t be filled during peak consumption periods. People need to be made aware that everyone has a role to play in this develop- ment. That would be an important step to- wards improving the situation. RE:VIEWS: Mr Ristow, many thanks for taking the time to speak to us! What applies to ground- water as a source of drinking water must also be applied to rainfall nowadays, i.e. it is an indispensable resource To do this means setting up completely different wastewater systems. For the most part, potential irrigation areas are not located right next to where sewage treatment plants discharge their water. It’s certainly right that we should keep relatively low-polluted water, such as rain, well away from the ener- gy-intensive treatment plants. This must be taken into account when future renovation measures are being planned. Decentralised solutions are needed here and should include removing hard surfaces from urban areas. Our group supports local authorities, as part of its PPP projects, across the board here – from helping them to develop a concept and analysing their needs, to planning the engin- eering work, all the way through to carrying out the construction work and financing. RE:VIEWS: Heavily polluted wastewater will still end up at sewage treatment plants even if we do manage to keep rainwater away from them. The draft revision of the EU’s Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive is looking to extend producer responsibility to tackle the problems caused by the traces of cosmetics, medicines and other products found in wastewater. In other words, pro- ducers should cover some of the costs of e.g. the fourth treatment stage. Is this in your in- terest? Robert Ristow: There’s an impressive consen- sus among both the private sector and mu- nicipal associations that these proposals are right. But the fourth treatment stage mustn’t be the only solution. It is just one element in a chain of measures. As a basic principle, it is, of course, always better to solve the prob- lem at its source – in production, in hospi- tals, clinics and retirement homes as well as in commerce and industry. Starting at the source, i.e. reducing the volumes of pollut- ants getting into the water in the first place, will only partially work. Which means we have no choice but to act.

Modernising ageing wastewater treatment plants with smart sensors – using the IoT to more closely observe and better control processes

Sensors in wastewater management Sewage treatment plants are important facilities for treating wastewater from households, commercial businesses and industry. They must be serviced and renovated at regular intervals to ensure that they can treat wastewater safely and efficiently at all times. Sensors are technical components that measure various physical and chemical properties and then pass on this information so it can be processed. They are an important tool in the wastewater management sector for monitoring and controlling wastewater quality in sewage treatment plants. They can measure a whole variety of parameters (such as pH values, conductivity, temperature and redox potential) and, by doing so, provide information about possible pollutants or disorders in the wastewater. Sensors can also help to improve a sewage treatment plant’s energy consumption levels and operating costs by enabling it to fine-tune its aeration, sludge treatment and nutrient removal processes. What’s more, these technical aids help make wastewater treatment safer and more secure as they detect and report any damage within the plant in good time. Sensors promote, therefore, efficient and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment. All this means that water, energy and material cycles can be monitored and controlled in a targeted manner using this inexpensive technology. Manageable investments for old facilities This solution was able to be installed in the plant without large numbers of cables hav- ing to be laid. An additional control unit was not necessary either which meant the new system takes up very little space. Compared to the building measures that were required in the past, this development is also a small revolution. This was also true for the amount of time needed to set up the system. Less than a week was required to fix the IoT sensors to the ex- isting measuring equipment, to install new sensors, to set up the platform and to pro- gram defined alarm signals in consultation with the plant manager. It will also be easy to retrofit and integrate additional sensors should they be needed as every gateway can process signals from thousands of sensors. Moreover, the recorded data is not only able to be graphically evaluated on the online platform but can also be exported and pro- cessed using other software. This technology is an uncomplicated way to record data about water, energy and ma- terial cycles. Connecting the sensors to exist- ing and mobile measuring devices is a simple process and reduces the workload required to record data that is indispensable for en- suring that new-build and renovation pro- jects are cost effective. As a result, the company’s facility, which no longer met the latest standards, now has a solution that delivers everything it needs: it avoids malfunctions, enhances the water treatment performance, allows the facili- ty to operate more efficiently and enables key data to be collected that will be rele- vant for the new plant. REMONDIS Aqua is convinced that there is still a great deal of as yet untapped potential in this technology to help existing plants and facilities. Predicting and managing once-in-a-century events From the very north of Germany to deep in the west of the country – a picturesque re- gion famous for its rolling hills, vineyards and historical city centres and dominated by the Rhine and its tributaries. It is by no means an idyll though. It was here, in the summer of 2021, where the Ahr and Erft rivers and many other rivers in the west of Germany broke their banks and had such a devastating effect. The floods resulting from this were so catastrophic for Germany that they are already being called a ‘once-in- a-century’ event.

What is the ‘IoT’? The internet of things encompasses all devices that are connected to the internet. Physical objects are depicted and connected to one another virtually. As a result, they can perform various tasks for their owner. The data situation is more transparent as the devices are able to communicate with each other, which enables better decisions to be made. The IoT is used in a whole range of areas – from the provision of general information, to simplified visualisation, all the way through to automated warning and emergency functions. The IoT – and low power sensors in particu- lar – help make life safer for people living in flood-prone areas: new early warning sys- tems are being created by using data from a variety of measuring devices (such as ul- trasound sensors and rain gauges) that are directly connected to the internet. As a result, these new flood management systems can monitor the water levels of riv- ers, sewers and flood-control reservoirs in real time, detect critical conditions quickly and reliably and adjust the controls of the impacted water facilities accordingly. By do- ing so, they play a key role in helping to pre- vent flood damage and to initiate protective measures. The data recorded in Goslar am Harz’s complex drainage network is used to help control the town’s water management sys- tem. The town can even adjust the capacity of its flood-control reservoirs for up to three days in advance when faced with extreme conditions. Using these interconnected technical solu- tions will allow people to react more quick- ly and more efficiently to extreme weather events and, as a result, to initiate protective measures in good time. One of the consequences of the climate emergency will be that extreme weather events such as the one in Goslar cannot be avoided. Sensors and the IoT, however, are already improving safety levels today and at relatively low cost. Looking at the positive impact they have already had on installations such as those in Goslar, this can most defi- nitely be called a small revolution. The IoT projects being carried out by REMONDIS Aqua are already helping to protect people against floods today and are driving forward digitisation in the water management sector.

Dr Nabila Rabanizada, Head of Research & Development, REMONDIS Recycling

“ Having majored in plastics and recycling technology, I got to know the waste management sector while still at university.” Dr Nabila Rabanizada, Head of Research & Development, REMONDIS Recycling Dr Nabila Rabanizada: Yes, we did. We ended up at Ber- lin’s main train station with just the clothes we were standing in, dirty and completely disoriented. The sun was just coming up when we got there. After waiting there for hours and hours, we were picked up by a rel- ative at 5pm and taken to Kassel. We then spent 40 days in temporary accommodation before moving to Baunatal. To begin with, we weren’t allowed to mention the route we’d taken nor betray the fact that we spoke Rus- sian. Otherwise we would have been sent back there. RE:VIEWS: You said that your siblings knew what they wanted to do from a very early age. How did you get into your career? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: I went to school after we arrived in Germany and was put in a Year 4 class. My first day at school was not much fun as no-one really knew how to deal with me. It was difficult to communicate as we could only use gestures. Fortunately, though, I learned German really quickly and eventually made friends. Our family was able to settle down and finally put down roots. After I left school in 2004, I decided to study me- chanical engineering in Kassel, majoring in plastics and recycling technology. I got a lot of practical experi- ence during my course – something that has proven to be very useful during my professional career. I then enrolled at the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich so that I could do my doctorate at the me- chanics institute in its aerospace engineering depart- ment. During this time, which lasted from 2012 to 2015, my focus was very much on materials science and analytics. Having majored in plastics and recycling technology, I got to know the waste management sec- tor while still at university. As I was interested in this field, I wanted to learn more about it and applied for a job in the industry. And so my career began as a pro- ject engineer at Der Grüne Punkt. That was a really in- structive start to my career as I was able to take part in and help shape many prestigious projects from scratch. And as my experience grew so, too, did my responsi- bilities: in 2018, I was put in charge of application de- velopment. RE:VIEWS: And so how did you find your way to REMONDIS (something we’re very happy about of course!)? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: I was able to gather a great deal of practical experience while I was working at Der Grüne Punkt and this has been very useful for my career to date. I felt that I needed to make the most of new op- portunities and expand my know-how. A good way to do this was to change employers. There was one thing that made this job particularly appealing: back then REMONDIS Recycling did not have its own R&D de- partment. That meant that I didn’t have to follow in anyone’s footsteps and could set up and shape the de- partment from scratch. I’ve been at the company for three years now and am very proud of everything that we’ve managed to achieve so far. RE:VIEWS: What do you find so fascinating about plas- tics? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: Their complexity. Plastic is an in- credibly versatile material. And because it’s so versa- tile, we need highly complex technologies to recycle it. If operating such complex technology means we can provide industry with high quality recycled raw ma- terials and close material life cycles, then that’s a big positive. My job has become my passion. Working with our customers to optimise their production processes and make their systems more sustainable means that I am constantly facing new challenges. And this is what makes my work so interesting.

REMONDIS RECYCLING All of the activities at REMONDIS Recycling revolve around valuable raw materials. This REMONDIS division specialises in three material streams: glass, old textiles and, above all, plastics. The company offers comprehensive, full-service solutions to enable plastics that have been collected from private households, take-back schemes, commercial businesses and industrial production processes to be recycled and reused. Supplying collection equipment is part of its port- folio as is delivering a whole range of services, including pre-sorting materials on site at the customers’. Moreover, it operates state-of-the- art facilities to transform the material into products with defined levels of quality, e.g. ground products and pellets made of HDPE or PET. The company has both the high levels of technical know-how and the sure instincts needed to be able to offer its customers a reliable supply of top quality goods. The packaging used by Werner & Mertz for its ‘Frosch’ cleaning agent is already made exclusively from recy- cled plastics. Where are you at today? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: The really good collaboration work with Werner & Mertz – and with other market players who are increasingly turning to sustainable packaging – has shown us that we need to invest in even better sorting and recycling processes. The packaging indus- try needs recycled plastics that are as pure as possible, i.e. plastics that have been separated strictly accord- ing to type. Very few companies want mixed plastics. And so this is the path that we’re heading down. This June, for example, we opened a new sorting plant in Bochum that also deploys artificial intelligence. At the same time, we need to meet the exact re- quirements of our customers and adjust the specifica- tions accordingly. Professional customer communica- tions is, of course, also one of our tasks to ensure that we can find and implement the best possible recycling strategy for everyone involved. RE:VIEWS: What do you believe still needs to be done to close plastic life cycles around the world and reduce the impact of plastic on our environment? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: Besides the fact that our sector should, of course, intensify its efforts to offer our know- how and services abroad, there is, unfortunately, still a lack of suitable collection schemes in many countries. And if the waste isn’t collected – let alone col- lected separately – and if there’s no recycling infrastructure worth mentioning, then we shouldn’t be surprised when waste plastics end up polluting the environment. There’s still much to do at international level. It’s my job and the job of my colleagues to make the best possible technology avail- able and keep the most effective sales channels open for our customers. The good news is that the trademark owners and manufacturers of so-called fast moving consumer goods are becoming more and more aware of the fact that ‘design for recycling’ is the key to a well-func- tioning circular economy and sustainable products and packaging. We’ve been supporting those calling for the implementation of strict ecodesign criteria for a long while now, as have our associations in Berlin and Brussels. It’s good to see that this message is, slow- ly but surely, getting through to manufacturers and consumers. Much more knowledge needs to be trans- ferred and many more discussions need to be held, though, to speed up this process. RE:VIEWS: One last question: if you could travel back into your past, what advice would you give your eight- year-old self in Kabul? Dr Nabila Rabanizada: Don’t be afraid and never give up! There’s no such thing as equal opportunities in the country I was born in. It’s a tough fate for the women and girls living there. My mother is illiterate and nev- er went to school. Education, though, is key to being able to take part in public life. It was always her big- gest wish for her children to be able to live freely no matter what their gender. And that meant they had no choice but to flee the country. My mother brought up five children in a foreign country and all five of them went to university. My sis- ter fulfilled her dream and now works as a doctor. The rest of us studied either industrial engineering or me- chanical engineering. Nagela and I are the first wom- en in our family to go to university and get a PhD. If our parents had not decided to leave Afghanistan, our lives would have been very different indeed. RE:VIEWS: Dr Rabanizada, many thanks for taking the time to speak to us!

There are not enough new drivers… Every year in Germany alone, at least 40,000 HGV drivers retire and just 20,000 newly trained drivers join the sector. ! More recycling, more complex waste streams – the circular economy has been continuously further develop- ing its business over the last few years. As the levels of complexity have grown so, too, has the demand for logistics and the need for professional truck drivers. And this is precisely where the problem lies. According to the latest report published by the International Road Transport Union, there were around 425,000 unfilled HGV driver jobs across Europe at the end of 2021. This figure is said to have shot up to 600,000 within just a few weeks of the war in Ukraine breaking out. The numbers for Germany speak volumes as well: a further 80,000 truck drivers are needed here and the situation is only going to get worse. T he main trade associations of the Ger- man bus and road haulage sectors, in- cluding the BDE [Federal Association of the German Waste Management Industry], drew up a position paper in Feb- ruary 2023 that listed a series of measures and legislative changes that are necessary to counteract the massive shortage of drivers. So why are there so many unfilled vacan- cies? The growing demand for transport and logistics services has certainly had an impact as has the planned transport transition. Fur- thermore, there are not enough new drivers entering the profession to make up for those retiring. Every year in Germany alone, for example, at least 40,000 HGV drivers enter retirement and just 20,000 newly trained drivers join the sector. Another reason is that the process that peo- ple need to go through to get an HGV driving licence is more complicated here in Germa- ny. This is because of the way the European truck driver directive was transposed into German law. As a basic rule, drivers must have an HGV driving licence and a certifi- cate of professional competence (CPC) qual- ification to be able to transport goods on public roads in the European Union. This qualification can be gained through self- study or by taking part in an accelerated training course with a minimum 140 hours of teaching. Unlike the other EU member states, HGV driving courses and CPC cours- es are taught and examined separately in Germany. This means it takes longer and costs more to qualify. A further 80,000 truck drivers are needed in Germany and the situation is only going to get worse

The idea behind REDRIVE “The whole of the apprenticeship course is organ- ised and carried out centrally in our apprenticeship department with its four trainers,” explained Rein- hard Hohenstein, managing director of REMONDIS Rhineland. The only thing that had been organised externally in the past was the category C/CE driv- ing course so that the apprentices could drive the refuse collection trucks. “The advantage of bring- ing the truck driving course in-house is that we can teach them all about the special tasks they’ll have to carry out in this particular sector,” Ho- henstein continued. “We can integrate specif- ic driving skills and technical know-how into their training course.” A further idea behind this in-house training programme: “We’ve always placed great importance on the apprentices at the different REMONDIS Rhineland locations networking with each other. These small networks allow them to ex- change experiences and help strengthen team spir- it and the sense of being part of the company.” The combination of doing an apprenticeship and quali- fying to become an HGV driver at REDRIVE further intensifies the contact the apprentices have to one another. “What’s more, we get to know the young people better which means we can support, advise and accompany them through their apprenticeship even better than before,” driving instructor André Bubenzer added. With the number of apprentices falling, there is a growing need to tailor the support they get. “Every apprentice is given a detailed report about what they have learned and what areas they still need to catch up on. By doing so, we have a rel- atively high pass rate in the exams.” The apprentices also enjoy an all-round carefree package: all admin- istrative tasks, such as handing in documents and registering for exams, are carried out by the driving school. One driving school, two pillars: driving licence & accelerated initial qualification courses On the one hand, the in-house driving school en- ables the apprentices to prepare for their category C/CE driving test. On the other, it also focuses on further training other members of staff. “At the end of 2022, we began offering employees the possibility to take part in accelerated courses so that they can gain their initial qualification and become an HGV driver,” said Wolfgang Klein, logistics manager at INITIAL QUALIFICATION & ACCELERATED INITIAL QUALIFICATION FOR HGV DRIVERS According to the BKrFQG [Federal Professional Drivers‘ Qualifica- tion Act], drivers with Category C1, C1E, C and CE driving licences must be able to prove that they have a special initial qualification to be permitted to transport goods on public roads. An apprenticeship to become a professional truck driver is con- sidered the equivalent to this initial qualification for the carriage of goods. Newcomers to the profession or people being retrained, however, must participate in a training course and take an exam as set out in Section 3 of the BKrFQV. This can be done by taking part in an accelerated initial qualification course. Participants learn all the content that must, by law, be taught in a course lasting four to six weeks and are prepared for the Chamber of Commerce exam. REMONDIS Sustainable Services. He and Jonathan Pascoe, logistics operations manager at REMONDIS in Cologne, are both managing directors of the driving school. Employees, such as operators of fork-lift trucks and other machinery, can do an intensive course and then take the required Chamber of Commerce exam. “They have four to six weeks of non-stop classes to learn the theory and get the practical experience re- quired by law and – once they’ve successfully passed the Chamber of Commerce exam – they can take their driving test soon after,” Klein explained.

H from the company’s own ranks A holistic training concept Right from the start, the driving school’s concept is geared towards taking over the apprentices after they finish their course. REDRIVE enhances the quality of the apprenticeship by teaching company values such as solidarity and mutual support. At the same time, it focuses on systematically further training and in- dividually supporting the company’s own employees. “We want to keep on further developing our concept. This includes, for example, the accelerated initial qual- ification course which we began offering at the end of 2022. This might also include collaborations with ex- ternal institutions such as job centres and vocational colleges. That would be two doors to the job market that lie very close to one another,” explained Wolf- gang Klein. Even if intensive research work is being carried out into new forms of mobility – such as au- tonomous driving – and the first vehicles are already on the road, Wolfgang Klein is convinced of one thing: “REMONDIS will need professional truck drivers for the foreseeable future. We operate in city centres on narrow roads and in very different types of urban areas with a whole host of different road users. Which means that we will continue to need our well-trained drivers to manoeuvre our fleet through the streets for a long time to come so that we can continue to deliver one of our core areas of expertise, namely collecting waste in urban areas.”

One key aim: to teach about the circular economy In many cases, they end up disappointed. Even though large sums of money have been set aside specifically for councils to carry out PR work and provide their res- idents with advice about what to do with their waste. Germany’s so-called dual systems – who are respon- sible for collecting, sorting and recycling used sales packaging – pay money to local authorities as supple- mentary charges. Some of these funds should be used by the councils to raise awareness among their local residents about how important it is for them to sepa- rate their waste. These supplementary charges amount to around 135 million euros. But what really happens with all this money? Here and there a dull website or a telephone helpline that can only be reached a few hours a day. And yet it is so important to reach out to people in the right way. That means using methods and mater- ials that have been adapted to different age groups and to different target groups, that use different channels and that are eye-catching. Environmental awareness projects should provide both children and adults with the information they need and enable them to under- stand and see both the problems and the solutions. And this is precisely the approach that REMONDIS takes when it comes to environmental education. This recycling firm has developed different information channels for different target groups that shed light on subjects such as how the circular economy, recycling and recycled raw materials help to curb climate change.

CHILDREN’S CLIMATE DAYS AT THE LIPPE PLANT Covering 230 hectares and home to a wide range of innovative recycling systems, REMONDIS’ Lippe Plant in Lünen is Europe’s largest industrial recycling centre. From organic materials, to metal slag, all the way through to plastics – a whole host of recyclable materials are recov- ered from waste and returned to production cycles. According to a study published by Prognos AG and the INFA Institute, the Lippe Plant’s operations cut carbon emissions by 488,000 tonnes every year. That is enough to offset the emissions of 100,000 long-haul flights to Sydney. Which means that the CO2 savings achieved by the Lippe Plant are at the same level as a wind farm with 80 wind turbines. A holistic approach to environmental education The concept for the RECYCLING PRO- FESSIONALS was developed by a group of environmental education officers, teachers, graphic designers and a creative agency. Their goal: to create a new holistic approach to environmental education that would make young people more aware about the circular economy. At the end of the day, you are never too young to learn. And so this project aims to reach children and young teenagers as early as possible to encourage them to handle natural resources responsi- bly. The message: waste is actually not waste at all – but recyclable materials made from valuable raw materials. By separating their waste at home, every single person can help save recyclable materials so that they can be recovered and returned to market for reuse. Suitable teaching materials Worksheets were also drawn up as well as complete kits containing teaching materials, support materials and a letter for the parents – all of which are available as downloads. All of the teaching materials were developed in close collaboration with teaching specialists. One element linking all of the materials is Robin the mascot, the protector of all raw materials, a small one-eyed creature with two grab arms. Robin can be found hovering around the website and is on every poster and every worksheet as well as on the ‘Re- cycling Professionals ID cards’. The children are given this ID card after they complete one of the units to show that they are now an expert. This project aims to reach children and young teenagers as early as possible to encourage them to handle natural resources responsibly. “ We want the kids to know what happens to their things after they’ve put them in the bins.” Julia-Sophia Voss, Marketing/Corporate Communications Adviser at REMONDIS

THE AWARENESS IS ALREADY THERE “It’s really easy to get pupils motivated about the whole subject of recyclables. Many of them already know that litter is bad for the environment and that littering is wrong. Which is why they watch everything we do in our learning theatre very closely indeed and are keen to know how they should handle recyclables in the future.” Friedhelm Susok from the RECYCLING PROFESSIONALS Sustainable environmental education for everyone The RECYCLING PROFESSIONALS’ offer- ing can be used by everyone across Germany. Kindergartens, schools and local authorities can simply register and book the modules they need for their day care centre, class or town festival. REMONDIS currently spon- sors a large number of educational theatre performances every year. There is a huge de- mand for these events and far more appoint- ments could be handed out were it possible to cover them all. Other companies can also support these educational theatre performances for kin- dergartens and schools. This would certainly make the children very happy. Their feedback: “Both RECYCLING PROFESSIONALS are super kind and spoke like the mouse on TV. Robin, the robot, made us laugh through- out the show. The games were great and we enjoyed watching the films. The best bit was the singing at the end. Please come again soon!” The children aren’t the only ones who would like to see them come back. REMONDIS would also like to see re- cycling, climate action and sustainability being taken even more seriously and being integrated even more into the lives of both children and adults. Whether it be in a play- ful way as with the RECYCLING PROFES- SIONALS, instructive as on Instagram or en- tertaining as on the ‘Bürgerservice’ website. It’s high time that sustainable environmental education is available for all age groups and on all channels! Find out more at www.wertstoffprofis.de It’s high time that sustainable environmental education is available for all age groups and on all channels!

CHAT GPT WAS ASKED: “Tell me a joke about artificial intelligence!” (ON ITS THIRD CHAT GPT’S ANSWER ATTEMPT):“Why did the robot lose its job? Be- cause it kept switching to maintenance mode to improve its skills’!” W hich shows that this supposedly su- per smart colleague is not particu- larly funny. There has been much media hype about the subject of artificial intelligence, aka AI. Rarely does a day go by without a newspaper, blog- ger, TV channel or radio station issuing pes- simistic warnings about the dangers of AI. Based loosely on the Terminator franchise or the legendary HAL9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001 – A Space Odyssey’, people are predicting that AI will, at best, supersede humans and their jobs or, at worst, spell the end of humanity. Perhaps the first thing that we should do is to ask ourselves just how smart our colleague the computer has really become. The results are generally disappoint- ing and sobering. More often than not, AI muddles up people or gives them a position they simply don’t have. It certainly seems as if every other managing director has been appointed board chair. Asked detailed ques- tions about the circular economy in Germany or abroad, AI comes up with interchangeable generalisations that are certainly well formu- lated but hardly robust statements. And the database of this supposed intelligence is from 2021 for the moment. It’s still being tested and we’re still learning. Of course, we shouldn’t underestimate the risks. Especially when it involves deepfakes such as fake photos or videos that provide conspiracy theorists, divorced from reality, with the supposed proof they need to become yet more radicalised in their parallel univers- es. It is alarming today, even without Chat GPT and its counterparts, just how carelessly unproven and unprovable content on Face- book, Telegram and other social media plat- forms are taken at face value by so many un- discerning users. Unfortunately, the public discussions about AI have overshadowed the question of its long-term benefits for the economy and, as a result, for the circular economy. To shed some light on the subject for our readers, RE:VIEWS contacted Dr Aljoscha Burchardt from the German Research Center for Arti- ficial Intelligence in Berlin, one of Germany’s leading AI experts, and asked him to contrib- ute as a guest author. The following piece is a translation of an article written by Dr Aljoscha Burchardt that first appeared in the German Rotary Magazine in April 2023. OMPUTERS

or writing texts or creating animated ava- tars are astonishing for us experts as well. And yet, despite all the euphoria, there is a dispiriting factor too: the whole thing is just democratisation ‘light’. The development of this technology is very firmly in the hands of international hyperscalers, i.e. companies such as Amazon, Facebook and OpenAI, and we remain for the most part observers, who have effectively been thrown a few crumbs and have to make do with the free (as yet) or low-cost access they’re given. Having said that the first steps have been taken in Germany to create collaborations among companies and research institutes to enable digital sovereignty – such as the OpenGPT-X project (which is being sup- ported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and involves the Heidelberg-based start-up Aleph Alpha Partner) and LEAM (an initiative of the German AI Asso- ciation). A B O U T T H E A U T H O R : D r A l j o s c h a B u r c h a r d t i s P r i n c i p a l R e s e a r c h e r a n d D e p u t y S i t e D i r e c t o r o f t h e D F K I [ G e r m a n R e s e a r c h C e n t e r f o r A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e ] i n B e r l i n . H e i s a n e x p e r t i n L a n g u a g e Te c h n o l o g y a n d A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e . B u r c h a r d t i s S e n i o r R e s e a r c h F e l l o w o f t h e W e i z e n b a u m I n s t i t u t e f o r t h e N e t - w o r k e d S o c i e t y a n d D e p u t y C h a i r o f t h e B e r l i n S c i e n t i f i c S o c i e t y [ B e r l i n e r W i s s e n s c h a f t l i c h e G e s e l l s c h a f t ] . H e w a s a l s o a m e m b e r o f t h e G e r m a n P a r l i a m e n t ’s E n q u e t e C o m m i s - s i o n o n A r t i f i c i a l I n t e l l i g e n c e . r e h c u P t u m l e H : e g a m I

AI and digitisation can be used to make jobs more attractive in areas where we believe they can do a good job and where new staff are urgently needed, such as in social care and education/training. When doctors spend 40% of their working day doing paper- work then they are effectively already spending half a day working as a robot – just not as reliably. Such tasks can be performed better by data goggles and pill robots, which are never distracted and never get tired. If a good amount of the time gained by the doctors can then be spent on their patients then we have won as far as digitisation is concerned. And if teachers and trainers are given support to mark tests and do maths sums and use the extra time to prepare for their class or provide their students with individual support, this is definitely a win as well. Digitisation and AI should be used to make jobs more attractive. ‘The 4 Ds of Robotisation: Dull, Dirty, Dangerous and Dear’ could be used as inspiration here. Work that is repetitive, dirty and perhaps even dangerous should be the first to be delegated to ma- chines. We cannot afford to have large amounts of people carrying out tasks that can easily be automat- ed, such as processing forms or picking parcels from warehouses. It’s not about replacing humans with ma- chines. It’s much more about getting socio-technical systems to work to help grow job satisfaction levels. It makes sense here to get the machines to do the triage work: these 60% guarantee claims from customers are clearly positive cases and these 20% clearly negative cases that can be recommended or turned down by a machine (with humans doing some quality control spot checks). Employees must then just work on the remaining 20% – the interesting cases of doubt. This also helps to upgrade the profession as the employees have more time to focus on the tricky cases. 5Act SO WHERE’S THE CATCH? Just like any other form of technology, AI technology will also create some problems but I don’t want to join in the standard discussions here about data privacy and ethical problems. When giving my talks, I like to say: “The more we talk about data privacy and ethics, the greater the danger that we buy ethics from China and data privacy from the USA.” Both topics are, of course, important but we’ve developed some robust solutions and design processes here in Europe and Germany that we can reliably use to implement AI. One of the things that worries me about generative AI at the moment is the ‘littering’ of the web with ar- tificially generated images and texts, which will soon be joined no doubt by videos, films and other types of data. The next generation of AI systems will have to be trained to handle these as it is practically impossible to spot wheth- er they’re genuine or not. This may result in the quality eventually fall- ing. But solutions are bound to be found for this as well. At the start, I wrote that it was all about what AI should do for us. And that’s what I’d like to find out from you. Please don’t leave it up to us technologists to answer this question – make sure you have a say in this, too!

DATAFLEET – AN OVERALL PICTURE THANKS TO DIGITAL ROAD CHECKS It’s not possible for councils to have eyes everywhere? Yes, it is! Thanks to DATAFLEET: an innovative solution that makes it possible to check the state of roads. The idea: refuse collection vehicles are equipped with optical sen- sors and artificial intelligence so that they can record information about the areas on and around roads, as and when needed and in line with data privacy regulations. These vehicles travel down the same streets of an urban or rural district on a regular basis – right down to the very last corner. The stretch of road checked by the DATAFLEET vehicles is then shown on a screen by the DATAFLEET software. This allows the system users to spot where action needs to be taken, to adjust inspection plans and to optimise the use of resources. MAEX – A DIGITAL RECYCLING CENTRE PROVIDING OPTIMUM SERVICES FOR LOCALS Self-service recycling made simple with MAEX! Using an app, local inhabitants can book an appointment online at their local household waste recycling centre (HWRC) quickly and easily so that they can also travel to the centre outside normal opening hours. The key word here is digital household waste recycling centre and the system aims to make HWRCs more efficient and to provide local residents with the best possible level of service. Thanks to the system, locals should be able to avoid the long queues during peak periods and make their visits to their local HWRC far less stressful.

N A B U : C O U N C I L S ’ C O L L E C T I O N O F O R G A N I C W A S T E I S I N A D E Q U AT E R a r e l y h a s t h e c o n t e n t o f t h e h o u s e h o l d k i t c h e n a n d g a r d e n w a s t e b i n s b e e n a s v a l u a b l e a s i t i s t o d a y ; w h e t h e r i t b e a s t h e i n p u t m a t e r i a l f o r c o m p o s t , a s t h e i n p u t m a t e r i a l f o r p r o d u c i n g b i o g a s – o r a s t h e i n p u t m a t e r i a l f o r b o t h . W h i c h m a k e s i t a l l t h e m o r e p u z z l i n g w h y t h e r e a r e s t i l l r e g i o n s i n G e r m a n y t h a t a r e n o t a b l e t o h a v e t h e i r o r g a n i c w a s t e c o l l e c t e d s e p a r a t e l y f r o m o t h e r w a s t e s t r e a m s – e v e n t h o u g h t h e G e r m a n C i r c u l a r E c o n o m y L a w [ K r W G ] m a d e i t o b l i g a t o r y f o r l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s t o o f f e r s u c h c o l l e c t i o n s c h e m e s b a c k i n 2 0 1 5 . N A B U [ G e r m a n N a t u r e a n d B i o d i v e r s i t y C o n s e r v a t i o n U n i o n ] r e c e n t l y p u b l i s h e d a r e p o r t d e t a i l i n g j u s t h o w m a n y l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e f a i l e d i n t h i s a r e a . E n v i r o n m e n t a l c a m p a i g n e r s h a v e c r i t i c i s e d t h e f a c t t h a t 1 5 % o f G e r m a n d i s t r i c t a n d t o w n c o u n c i l s d o n o t p r o v i d e o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s a c r o s s t h e w h o l e o f t h e i r r e g i o n . I n s o m e c a s e s , t h e y d o n o t e v e n o f f e r t h e i r l o c a l r e s i d e n t s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t o t a k e t h i s w a s t e t o a c o l l e c t i o n p o i n t . A f u r - t h e r 1 4 % m e r e l y o f f e r a v o l u n t a r y f o o d / g a r d e n w a s t e b i n . A n d a l l t h i s e v e n t h o u g h i t h a s b e e n k n o w n f o r a l o n g w h i l e t h a t i n t r o d u c i n g a n o b l i g a t o r y o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n i s t h e m o s t e f f e c t i v e s o l u t i o n . D i s t r i c t s a n d t o w n s w i t h o b l i g a t o r y o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s c o l l e c t , o n a v e r a g e , s i g n i f i c a n t l y l e s s r e s i d - u a l w a s t e t h a n t h e a r e a s w i t h v o l u n t a r y o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s o r c o l l e c t i o n p o i n t s y s t e m s . T h e s e f i g u r e s h a v e b e e n c o n f i r m e d b y N A B U . A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s a s s o c i a t i o n , j u s t 6 3 % o f h o u s e h o l d s a r e p a r t o f a n o r - g a n i c w a s t e c o l l e c t i o n s c h e m e . O b l i g a t o r y o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s r e s u l t i n a s i g n i f i c a n t l y h i g h e r n u m b e r o f h o u s e h o l d s t a k i n g p a r t i n s u c h a c o l l e c t i o n s c h e m e ( 7 6 % ) c o m p a r e d t o v o l u n t a r y b i n s ( 4 6 % ) . L a r g e c i t i e s w i t h t h e i r o w n w a s t e - t o - e n e r g y ( W t E ) p l a n t s c o l l e c t , o n a v e r a g e , f a r l e s s w a s t e v i a o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s a n d m o r e w a s t e v i a g e n e r a l w a s t e b i n s t h a n l a r g e c i t i e s w i t h o u t a W t E p l a n t – a f a c t t h a t d o e s n ’ t s u r p r i s e i n d u s t r y e x p e r t s . E v e n b e f o r e t h e N A B U s t u d y c a m e o u t , i t w a s c l e a r t h a t G e r m a n y s t i l l l i e s f a r b e h i n d t h e s t a t u t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t s i n t h i s f i e l d : b e t w e e n 2 0 1 4 a n d 2 0 2 0 , t h e v o l u m e s o f c o l l e c t e d o r g a n i c a n d g a r d e n w a s t e i n c r e a s e d b y j u s t 1 0 % . F o r a l o n g w h i l e n o w , R E M O N D I S h a s b e e n c a l l i n g f o r t h e s e g a p s i n t h e k e r b s i d e c o l l e c t i o n s c h e m e s t o b e c l o s e d . I f 3 9 % o f t h e c o n t e n t s o f g e n - e r a l w a s t e b i n s i n 2 0 2 0 w e r e b i o g e n i c m a t e r i a l s – a n e s t i m a t e g i v e n b y t h e U B A [ F e d e r a l E n v i r o n m e n t A g e n c y ] – t h e n f a r t o o m a n y t h i n g s a r e s t i l l g o i n g w r o n g w i t h t h e c o u n t r y ’s w a s t e c o l l e c t i o n s y s t e m . To o m u c h b i o m a s s – a n d i t s c a r b o n c o n t e n t – c o n t i n u e s t o e n d u p a t W t E p l a n t s a s g e n e r a l w a s t e . W h a t i s i m p o r t a n t h e r e i s t o t a k e t h e c o l l e c t i o n s c h e m e t o t h e l o c a l r e s i d e n t s , i . e . t o p r o v i d e h o u s e h o l d s w i t h o r g a n i c w a s t e b i n s t h a t a r e r e g u l a r l y e m p t i e d a n d t e a c h t h e m h o w t o u s e t h e m p r o p e r l y s o t h a t f e w e r m a t e r i a l s a r e t h r o w n i n t o t h e w r o n g b i n . Take a look at NABU’s study (German) Where REMONDIS believes action must be taken

R E T E R R A C A R B O S O I L : S P R E A D I N G F E R T I L I S E R T O M I T I G AT E C L I M AT E C H A N G E R E M O N D I S ’ s u b s i d i a r y R E T E R R A t r a n s f o r m s b i o m a s s i n t o a n u m b e r o f p r o d u c t s a t i t s m a n y f a c i l i t i e s a c r o s s G e r m a n y i n c l u d i n g q u a l i t y - a s s u r e d c o m p o s t s t h a t n o t o n l y h e l p t o a d d n u t r i e n t s t o f a r m l a n d b u t a l s o t o b u i l d u p t h e h u m u s c o n t e n t o f t h e s o i l a n d c o u n t e r a c t s o i l a c i d i f i c a t i o n . 8 3 , 0 0 0 t o n n e s o f c a r b o n c o u l d b e s t o r e d e v e r y y e a r s i m p l y b y u s i n g R E T E R R A c o m p o s t s t o e n r i c h h u m u s c o n t e n t i n s o i l s . T h i s i s t h e s a m e a m o u n t o f C O 2 t y p i c a l l y e m i t t e d b y m o r e t h a n 2 , 5 0 0 f o u r - p e r s o n h o u s e h o l d s i n G e r m a - n y . T h i s m e a n s t h a t t h e C O 2 n o l o n g e r f l o w s a s p a r t o f t h e c a r b o n c y c l e b u t i s p e r m a n e n t l y s e q u e s t e r e d . I t i s n o w o n d e r, t h e r e f o r e , t h a t R E T E R R A i s d o i n g i t s u t m o s t t o g e t t h e k e r b s i d e c o l l e c t i o n o f b i o m a s s i m p r o v e d s o i t c a n b e u s e d a s a n i n p u t m a t e r i a l f o r a s u s t a i n a b l e f u e l o r f o r c o m p o s t . To m a k e t h e b e n e f i t s o f u s i n g c o m p o s t m o r e t r a n s - p a r e n t , R E T E R R A d e v e l o p e d a t o o l c a l l e d R E T E R R A C a r b o S o i l t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e F r a u n h o f e r I n s t i t u t e f o r E n v i r o n m e n t a l , S a f e t y a n d E n e r g y Te c h n o l o g y U M S I C H T. T h i s t o o l u s e s d e f i n e d p a r a m e t e r s t o c a l c u l a t e t h e a m o u n t o f c a r b o n s t o r e d l o n g t e r m i n t h e s o i l . A s a r e s u l t , f a r m e r s a r e n o t o n l y g i v e n r e c o m m e n d a - t i o n s o n h o w t o m a n a g e t h e i r l a n d i n t h e m o s t c l i - m a t e - f r i e n d l y w a y b u t a l s o r e c e i v e c o n c r e t e f i g u r e s o n h o w t h e y a r e h e l p i n g t o c o m b a t c l i m a t e c h a n g e w i t h e a c h i n d i v i d u a l p a r c e l o f l a n d . T h i s t o o l c a n a l s o b e u s e d t o p r o v i d e f a r m e r s w i t h w r i t t e n p r o o f a b o u t t h e c o n c r e t e C O 2 s a v i n g s t h e y h a v e a c h i e v e d o n t h e i r f a r m . I t c o u l d e v e n b e u s e d a s t h e b a s i s f o r p a i d c a r b o n o f f s e t s – a p r o j e c t t h a t i s j u s t c o m i n g o n t o t h e m a r k e t . I n s t e a d o f f i n a n c i n g h a r d t o v e r i f y r e f o r e s t a t i o n p r o j e c t s i n r a i n f o r e s t a r e a s , o f f s e t p a y m e n t s c a n n o w b e m a d e f o r b u i l d i n g u p h u m u s c o n t e n t i n l o c a l r e g i o n s . And compost also plays an important role in building up the humus content of agricul- tural land. Compost is a nutritious fertiliser made from organic material. Besides using harvest and plant residue, processed house- hold organic bin contents and tree and plant cuttings can be used to build up humus levels in soils. Digestate from biogas plants is also a good source. Moreover, spreading compost helps to counteract soil acidification as it contains high levels of lime and magnesium. At the end of the day, it is all about putting the right mix in place. Each farmer must con- sider the conditions of their land and identi- fy which individual measures will be most ef- fective so that carbon farming helps mitigate climate change. Changes will also need to be made in the areas of soil care and crop rota- tion and the use of agricultural land must be mixed, alternating between arable crops and pasture land. Building up humus will be a marathon not a sprint and will take decades. And this will also put an end to a long-last- ing dispute: carbon farming does not differ- entiate between conventional farming and organic farming. Both types of farm benefit from living humus. Building up humus will be a marathon not a sprint and will take decades. CARBON FARMING