Central Europe

Geocycle Central Europe is a network of Waste Management operations located in four countries: Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

Geocycle has emerged from the pioneering ventures of Holcim in the 1970s, and to date we have developed innovative services for the management of industrial and municipal waste - In central Europe we work with more than 100 customers and treat more than 900.000 tons/a of waste.

Through our pre- and co-processing activities, we offer industrial and municipal waste management services for a wide range of customer in the Central European Region and the surrounding countries.

Respecting the waste hierarchy, Geocycle dedicates itself to advancing a zero-waste future.
While doing so, we apply the strictest standards to protect the environment and the society.

Pre-Processing

Waste generally cannot be used directly without going through a preparation process. The pre-processing steps ensure that the waste meets the technical needs and environmental standards for safe recycling and recovery.

In Austria, Geocycle has two joint venture pre-processing platforms that offer services for the surrounding regions:

Thermoteam

Thermoteam is a joint venture founded in 1999 with one of the region’s leading waste management companies, Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG. Through Thermoteam, nearly 120.000 tons of waste is treated yearly. After the pre-processing, the waste is transferred to the Retznei cement plant for final co-processing.

Learn more about Thermoteam under www.thermoteam.at

Recycling Center Retznei (RCR)

RCR is a joint venture with “Steirische Umweltservice GmbH”, a subsidiary of “Rohrdorfer Zement”.

RCR offers professional and innovative solutions for disposal of industrial waste, C&DW, and excavated soil material. Different materials can be recycled, recovered through co-processing or – if necessary, landfilled. The landfilling takes place in accordance with the Austria Landfill Directive 2008 (Deponieverordnung).

Visit European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform
Visit RCR homepage to learn more: www.rcr-recycling.at

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Advantages of Co-Processing

Ideally, we all want to reduce the amount of waste we create. But some forms of waste cannot be avoided or safely reused / recycled.

After reuse and recycling as the primary steps in the waste management hierarchy, co-processing in cement production is the most environmentally acceptable waste disposal method: it does not leave ashes, reduces dependence on fossil fuels, preserves natural resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The advantages of co-processing are widely recognized (JRC Science for Policy Report, 2016), and have led to the publication of specific guidelines for co-processing under the United Nations “Basel Convention”
(www.basel.int).

Our Waste Management Principles

Sustainability elements:

• We act as a community partner, offering waste management solutions: we work in compliance with all applicable regulations, basing their integrity values.
• We protect the environment
• We create value for our partners and our company

What we do:

• We guarantee Health and Safety: Health & Safety at Work are embedded in our culture; we continuously train our people and improve our processes
• We treat waste professionally and responsibly. We respect regional and local regulations as well as Holcim internal directives. We only treat and co-process waste that comply with our strict quality standards: the delivered materials are controlled on a regular basis to guarantee safety co-processing in our plants.
• We guarantee the quality of our products: Holcim’s primary goal is to produce cement, concrete and aggregates. Therefore, the foundation for our work is to provide quality construction products with limited environmental impact.

How we do it:

• We comply with applicable regulations and apply best available practices.
• The chemical and physiological properties of the received waste are analyzed in our modern laboratories, as well as their impact on our processes, products and emissions.
• We put emphasis on high standards and top customer satisfaction, as well as continuous improvement of our processes and services: we hold several ISO certifications.
• We communicate openly and transparently.

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