Municipal waste management in today’s world
Waste is generated in cities and communities all around the world. Whether it comes from homes, businesses, hospitals, or schools, what is known as municipal waste makes up a large fraction of global waste production. In the EU alone, more than a quarter of the 2.2 billion metric tons of annually generated waste is categorized as municipal waste. And in the US, a staggering 292 million tons of municipal waste is generated each year.
So, how do cities handle all that waste?
Municipal waste management is the process of separating, collecting, sorting, and treating this waste in and for municipalities. To ensure a city remains an attractive place for people to live and work, effective community waste solutions must be implemented. One example of good municipal waste management is Lisbon, Portugal, where they strategically prioritize action to meet environmental targets.
But every city is different and each faces unique challenges — whether due to old infrastructure or specific requirements. PreZero can help municipalities save both costs and emissions by implementing streamlined domestic waste management solutions.
How can PreZero help with municipal waste?
PreZero is your partner for municipal waste management. With a diverse fleet of logistics and specialized vehicles, a variety of container sizes, modern sorting facilities, and pioneering treatment processes, PreZero gets the maximum value from all collected materials.
As a private waste management company, PreZero’s community waste management services include:
- Collection of waste at or near residential sites
- Operation of indent/weighing systems and contaminant detectors
- Marketing/utilization of recyclable materials
- Operation of recycling centers
- Take-back system (e.g., for e-waste)
- File storage and destruction of files and data
- Mobile collection of hazardous substances
- Construction and operation of recycling and energy facilities
- Care of green areas, snow clearance, and street cleaning
- Disposal concepts for events
Waste streams
At PreZero, we have the expertise and facilities to manage a wide range of municipal waste streams.
Organic waste
In the US, PreZero is developing industrial-scale technologies to upcycle food waste to create ingredients for animal feed. And in Europe, our biogas plants process food waste into gas for use as heating and electricity.
Residual waste
Household residual waste is what is left over after organic waste and recyclables have been separated at residences and businesses and further sorted by PreZero. Some of this residual waste can then be turned into heat and electricity at our modern waste-to-energy facilities, where hundreds of thousands of metric tons of residual waste are transformed into energy each year.
Bulky waste
For items that are too large to be picked up by standard collection vehicles — such as furniture and large appliances — PreZero customers can fill out an online form to schedule a convenient pick-up appointment.
Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste contains harmful properties like alkalis, solvents, and acids that pose a health risk to people and the environment. PreZero covers everything from adhering to strict handling regulations to managing all logistics, including packaging, labelling, and transport documentation. PreZero also offers mobile collection of hazardous waste with specialized vehicles and highly experienced staff.
Recycables
PreZero has specialized processes in place for sustainable and cost-effective recycling management. By analyzing recycling flows, PreZero can see which recyclables are generated in which quantities and in which locations. This allows PreZero to strategically place containers and help municipalities optimize waste separation practices. Two highly recyclable waste streams are glass and paper/cardboard. We recycle glass in a highly technical process to create unmixed secondary raw materials, and offer need-based provisioning of wastepaper to bring it back into the secondary material cycle.
Water treatment
In order to be a desirable place for people to call home, municipalities rely on a clean and safe water supply. That’s why the collection and treatment of urban waste water is essential to protect human health and the environment. PreZero is an expert in the treatment of raw water, process water, wastewater, and sludge, as well as the disposal of residuals. Municipalities can benefit from PreZero’s modular consulting services to optimize water-related processes, including the construction and commissioning of water and waste-water treatment plants. Always adhering to legal and regulatory requirements, PreZero partners with municipalities to offer a range of benefits:
- Long-term cost reduction
- Sustainable use of water as a valuable resource
- Alternative recycling routes
- Compliance with internal and legal regulations
- State-of-the-art water and wastewater treatment facilities
- One stop shop for independent planning and implementation
Advisory support
As an expert in recyclables collection and recycling for a wide variety of material flows, PreZero is well positioned as an advisory partner for local authorities.
As we touch every point in the lifecycle of waste, we can help you take a holistic approach to your municipal waste management and thereby ensure that your communities continue to be an attractive place for people and businesses to thrive.
Going Zero Waste
Achieving Zero Waste takes strategic planning and big conceptual thinking.
PreZero already has successful initiatives in action, such as the PreZero Arena, and can consult with municipalities that want to join the Zero Waste movement, no matter the scale of the project or event. PreZero aims to reduce avoidable waste to zero by conserving natural resources, maximizing reuse and recycling, and minimizing residual waste. And a lot of this leg work can be done at the municipal level with an expert on your side.
Waste handling & treatment with PreZero
PreZero carefully manages municipal waste with a focus on sustainability and cost-effectiveness, from collection and transport to sorting and recycling. We proudly support communities in improving practices that will help improve livability and overall sustainability.
Waste collection & transport
Waste collection with PreZero includes the strategic placement of containers and a transport fleet that adheres to strict economic and environmental practices, such as avoiding empty runs and detours. On both national and international levels, PreZero’s optimized transport network prioritizes environmental factors to drive municipalities toward a more sustainable future.
PreZero also offers certificates of disposal and other important documentation as proof of adherence to strict regulatory requirements and standards, better enabling companies to participate in a circular economy.
Waste sorting & recycling
PreZero has more than 30 modern facilities across Europe for plastic, aluminum, compost, and non-standard waste sorting. This allows us to properly sort municipal waste to maximize recovery and work on closing material loops across industries.
The sorted municipal waste is then taken to specialized recycling facilities where it undergoes advanced processing to get the maximum value from every material. For example, PreZero is helping close material loops for aluminum products by turning metal-containing waste into a finished product with an aluminum block yield of at least 90%. This valuable material recovery not only yields reusable metal products, but also aids in the sustainable thermal recycling of organic admixtures without incineration.
Why is innovation and progress in municipal waste management so important?
Shaping a contemporary circular economy takes innovation by private waste management companies, plus active participation from individuals and businesses.
PreZero not only offers advanced solutions, modern technologies, and expert consulting services for municipalities, but we continue to innovate across every business unit. We have industrial-scale technologies that turn food waste into sustainable animal feed and soil nutrient products in the US, are using organic waste to produce biomethane in Spain, and we’re implementing IoT-sensor-equipped collection bins to improve logistics timetables using real-time waste-production data in Europe.
PreZero understands that innovation and progress in waste management is vital to realizing a sustainable circular economy and making sure more cities around the world are clean and attractive places to live. Come work toward a Zero Waste future with us today!