Plant tour 1:
AVAG, Thun
The newest waste to energy plant
Batrec Industrie AG, Wimmis
The battery recycling plant

AVAG
Efficiant, ecological, integrated
AVAG Group includes the mother enterprise, the waste management company AVAG AG and her two daughter companies AVAG KVA AG and AVAG Betriebs AG. We guarantee the safe, environmental friendly and responsible disposal of waste. From the special collection to green treatment and disposal, to the final professional recycling – we are the reliable partner in the whole treatment process.
 
Waste incinerating plant KVA Thun
Through the handling of inflammable residential, industrial and commercial waste we win energy. The plant is running since November 2003. The capacity of KVA of burning waste is heavily dependent on the heating value of the waste. This value is represented in section around 100 000 tons per year. The high technology procedure for winning energy in the KVA includes the phases of burning, flue gas treatment, dealing with liquid waste and flue ash, electricity generation with a steam turbine and district heat. The KVA Thun delivers 1/3 of the demand on electricity of the city of Thun.

More information at: www.avag.ch

Batrec Industrie AG
Batrec is the only battery recycling plant in Switzerland, located in Wimmis in the Bernese Oberland close to Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau. The company developed an economic, environmentally friendly and sustainable process to recycle hazardous waste such as batteries and mercury containing waste. All types of batteries except lead acid batteries are recycled at Batrec.

The focus of our work is on highest quality, safety and environmental standards. It is the world's first induction heated smelting furnace for batteries and other hazardous metal containing waste. The furnace has a capacity of 5000 tons per year.

Batrec Industrie AG is the only company in the world that has developed a system which completely isolates hazardous and metallic substances from batteries in a closed cycle and produces new raw materials. This cycle guarantees a sustainable management of resources, is highly beneficial to the environment and is regarded as gold standard worldwide.

The Sochaux site is the largest French industrial site with a workforce of 12'000 employees of which 7'800 are involved in manufacturing activities and 4200 are engaged in research, development and experimentation. Every day, 1'600 new vehicles leave the Sochaux production lines. 3 vehicles are produced: 308, 3008 (crossover), 5008 (peoplecarrier).

The Sochaux site, established in 1912, is the historical site for PSA Peugeot Citroën Group. Today, the Sochaux plant sets new standards in many respects: productivity, flexibility, strict quality organization, perfect ergonomic standards, environmental protection and sustainable development.

Since 1889, Peugeot has always been future oriented - today more than ever.

More information at:
www.sochaux.psa.fr and www.musee-peugeot.com

Plant tour 3:
Smdk, Total remediation of the hazardous waste landfill site, Kölliken

Watch the movie
Provided by Martin K. Meyer

The consortium of the hazardous waste landfill Kölliken was established middle of the '70's. Between 1978 and 1985, about 300'000 m3 hazardous waste such as chemical wastes, shredder residues and other toxic wastes were land filled. In 1985 the landfill was closed due to environmental concerns and heavy protests of the neighbors.
After closing the landfill, the consortium worked out a concept to secure and clean up the site. The main attention was put on the protection of the groundwater flow, lying downstream of the site. For that purpose, several civil construction works have been undertaken, or are still being projected. The main target is the total decontamination and clean up of the entire site.
The costs of the remediation work are substantial.
Visitors are welcome and have the chance to have a look at the remediation works within the landfill site. The works started in 2003 and should be finished by 2013.

More information at: www.smdk.ch



Plant tour 4:
Wiederkehr Recycling AG, Waltenschwil
Car shredder and shredder fluff recycling plant

The Return of the Raw Materials

Recycling is quality workmanship
To recycle raw materials means: saving resources and relieving the burden on the environment. That is a demanding task. Today, recycling demands comprehensive know-how and a differentiated technology. With a variety of processes, which we continuously develop further, we provide for high recycling quotas for the initial materials we are entrusted with.
In close cooperation with suppliers and customers, we optimise the logistics. With a consequent quality management, we guarantee the users of our materials a calculably good and constant added value.

Innovative – since 1959
Our company has been operating since 1959. We are consistently pushing forward recycling technology for metals, plastics, and composite materials by in-house developments. As a logical consequence of the globalisation in trade with recycling goods, since 1993 we continuously have expanded our operational area beyond Swiss borders. Today we are present with operatively independent subsidiaries in various countries in Europe and Asia.

Our vision: the 100 percent quota
With continuous improvements, we aim at applying economically sustainable and environmentally friendly processes to return as many raw materials as possible, preferably all raw materials bound in waste, to a reasonable utilisation.
The return of the raw materials!

More information at: www.wierec.com

* No guarantee on arrival time due to traffic conditions