Editorial
Household waste management requires a reasoned and synergetic approach to the optimisation of collection methods and the recovery of collected waste. Today, nobody disputes the need to consider waste as a resource, after having, of course, reduced the amounts produced at the source. The different kinds of waste collection must work intelligently with the collection methods in place; recovery, like collection, has its own technical, environmental, regulatory, sociological, and economical constraints.
In a context of constantly evolving household waste treatment and recovery sectors, of emerging sectors, such as the production and recovery of Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) from waste, in which the production and recovery of renewable energies becomes an ongoing national energy transition and circular and sustainable economy target, in which reducing the amount of landfill waste is inevitable, in which the resulting material recycling must consequently be increased and, as a consequence, must consider the recovery of the organic matter contained in household waste more seriously, and, finally, in a context where reducing greenhouse gases, and notably CO2 emissions, continues to be a major preoccupation of industrialised and developing countries alike, selecting the collection and treatment methods adapted to their territories is a delicate compromise for the local communities, which must, in this complex environment, also take their budget constraints into account.
Involved in both the collection and treatment of household waste, we were among the first actors to consider this global issue and implemented solutions to optimise the cost of collection, to treat the fractions collected in order to better recover them - according to their intrinsic characteristics -, and to avoid whenever possible sending “refuse” to lanffill facilities. In that respect, the design of the household waste facility in Métropole Aix-Marseille Provence, built and operated by the Urbaser group, is a perfect example; a pioneer nationally, with a comprehensive and multi-utility management of household waste, downstream from a waste collection that promotes recycling, and that ensures, at facility level, additional waste sorting, the production of a combustible fraction recovered to produce electricity, the production of a biogas from the methanisation of organic fractions, and the production of a standard compost. This facility was the precursor of the “sorting/material recovery/organic recovery/energy recovery of combustible fractions/energy recovery of biogas” concept. It is also the fruit of our technical culture that encourages us to invest, far from dogmatism, in tomorrow’s technologies and sectors, which is the reason why our offer is always adapted to today’s needs.
It is indeed this in-depth analysis of both territorial needs and constraints, it is indeed this reading of national energy and environmental policies, it is indeed this vision of Public Service that we provide to local communities through our services, our expertise, our technical skills, and our proximity, a mark of confidence and reliability.
Claude Saint-Joly
Chairman and Managing Director
History
The birth of Urbaser Environnement
2002: The Urbaser group acquired the French engineering firm Valorga International, located in Montpellier (Hérault) and specialised in the design engineering and construction of household waste treatment facilities implementing the methanisation of the organic fractions contained in household waste. Valorga, created in Montpellier in 1981, was the first company in the world to imagine, design, develop, and implement a household waste methanisation process on an industrial scale.
Consequently, the household waste methanisation plant located in Amiens (Somme) was designed, built, and commissioned in 1989 by the Valorga teams. More than 25 years after its commissioning, this facility, uncontested global pioneer, continues to operate much to the satisfaction of the public community. This acquisition of Valorga by the Urbaser group marks the first step of the Urbaser group’s presence in France.
2003-2005: The Urbaser group and its French subsidiary Valorga International decided to jointly respond to public tenders for the treatment of household waste by emphasising their technological and operational advance, particularly in the field of household waste methanisation, thanks to the specific know-how of Valorga International and the unrivalled experience of Urbaser in operating household waste methanisation facilities in Spain.
2005: The French market welcomed this new presence of the Urbaser-Valorga group since, in 2005, the latter successively signed the 20-year public service delegation contract for the design, construction, financing, and operation of the multi-utility household waste treatment facility for the Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole, the contract for the construction of 3 household waste composting units for the public entity Sytrad (Drôme-Ardèche), and the public service delegation contract for the treatment of household waste for the Sivom of the Vallée de l’Yerres and des Sénarts (Essonne).
These successes reflected not only the quality, notably technical, of what the Urbaser group had to offer but also the value for French communities in opening the market up to a new and internationally recognised stakeholder.
End of 2005: Urbaser and Valorga International created Urbaser Environnement, a subsidiary of the Urbaser group, to sustainably develop Urbaser group activities in France.
Creation of a "Urban collection and Streets' cleansing" activity
2005 : Since then, Urbaser Environnement has experienced constant and steady growth on the French market, on the one hand, of its “Treatment” activity with new contracts to design, build, and operate household waste treatment facilities (Calais, Chalosse, Château d’Olonne, etc.) and, on the other hand, with the 2007 creation of a “Urban collection and Streets’ cleansing” activity, which earned it numerous contracts for the collection of household waste and the cleansing of public spaces.
Consequently, by the end of 2017, the activity of the Urbaser group in France, which in 2005 represented a turnover of 5 million euro and about 30 employees, represented a turnover of close to 252 million euro and more than 1 255 employees in 2021. Bolstered by this significant internal growth, Urbaser Environnement strengthened its organisation and structured itself since its creation in 2005 while building on the strong technical culture of its parent company Urbaser SA as well as of its subsidiary Valorga international. The human-scale company maintained the flexibility of a “medium company” but benefited from the financial solidity of Urbaser SA.
Where we work
Our business and service contracts are directly managed by Urbaser Environnement or through dedicated business entities, reinforcing our close connection to our customers.
EveRé
Business entity dedicated to the public service delegation for financing, building, and operating the multi-utility facility for the treatment of household and related waste in Métropole d'Aix-Marseille Provence.
Valortegia
Business entity dedicated to operating the household waste recovery unit for the Bil Ta Garbi Syndicate (Bayonne-France)
Issy-Urbaser-Énergie
Operating company dedicated to the operation of the Isséane Energy Recovery Unit of Syctom, l’Agence métropolitaine des déchets ménagers.
Béarn-Urbaser-Énergie
Operating company dedicated to the delegation of public service for the operation and the realization of works of modernization of the Unit of Energy Recovery of Lescar of the syndicate Valor Béarn.
Octeva
Business entity dedicated to operating the facility for household waste treatment by biomethanisation for the SEVADEC (Calaisis). For further information, go to www.Sevadec.fr or join them on Facebook.
Urbasys
Business entity dedicated to the public service delegation for operating the household waste treatment facility for the Sivom of la Vallée de l'Yerres et des Sénarts.
Urbapropreté IDF
Business entity dedicated to cleansing City of Paris (16 districts).
Valoram
Business entity dedicated to operating the multi-utility household waste facility for the Syctom (Paris area), the intercommunal household waste treatment and recycling syndicate.
Sertego Provence
A subsidiary of Urbaser Environnement since 2018, Sertego Provence, which specializes in the transport, sorting and recovery of industrial waste, is located in Marseille
Valorga International
Engineering firm specialised in dimensioning and designing facilities for household waste treatment by methanisation.
Sustainable development
Urbaser Environnement is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions based on the “Bilan Carbone ®” method developed by ADEME (the French environment and energy management agency). The aim is to achieve improvements in the identified areas by measuring and analysing annual report results.
Within the scope of Article 75 of Act no. 2010-788 dated 12 July 2010 (Grenelle II), a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report (French BEGES-R) was produced for the years 2012 to 2014.
Our values
The values that drive the men and women of the Urbaser group and its subsidiary Urbaser Environnement are based on:
Staff Health and Safety
Our managers and our teams are made aware of the occupational safety measures to be taken into account on a daily basis. Prevention is at the heart of our staff health and safety policy. Training programs are in place for our managers, supervisors, and workers to build awareness on the use of protective equipment, the risks associated with our business, medical monitoring, and first aid.
Listening to and Respecting our Customers
Listening to our customers to best meet their needs, respecting customer demands and expectations, such is the Urbaser Environnement commitment.
Trust and Transparency in the business relationship
Urbaser Environnement teams take pride in establishing customer relationships based on trust and transparency. Beyond the human relationship and within the scope of our operating agreements, we produce operating reports that provide technical and financial information in complete transparency.
Protecting the Environment for future generations
The men and women of Urbaser Environnement are aware that every individual must be involved in improving our environment and that of future generations. We are conscious of participating, on a daily basis and within the scope of our business, in improving our living environment by implementing industrial processes that will ensure long term environmental sustainability.