Environmental protection and resource efficiency are becoming increasingly important in today’s society. The most effective measures to achieve these goals include the separate collection, sorting, and recycling of waste.
The direct players in this process are cities and municipalities, take-back systems, sorting facilities, waste management companies, and dealers and recyclers of sorted waste. The RIVER digital platform enables all these players to exchange information more efficiently.
Together with Léko, a French take-back system for packaging waste, the first project is currently underway in which RIVER is being used to exchange data along the recycling process chain.
RIVER offers an efficient solution for optimizing information flows and simplifying communication between different players in waste management.
The platform was developed to shorten communication channels and avoid redundancies in the transfer of information. Companies are often confronted with an excess of emails, data, and other means of communication that move information back and forth. RIVER provides a centralized, well-structured solution that allows users to collect, share, and track information in one place. This reduces the risk of data loss and delays in sharing information. At the same time, the platform promotes collaboration between different stakeholders and the exchange of information in real time.
Another key advantage of RIVER is the significant reduction in the workload for everyone involved. By simplifying data collection, automating processes, centralizing data storage, and providing easy access to relevant information, users save valuable time and resources. This leads to an overall more efficient way of working and a reduction in errors, which ultimately translates into greater efficiency.
RIVER is an intelligent solution for overcoming the challenges of modern communication and data management in the waste management sector, helping all stakeholders to work more effectively and productively.
Why is it important to monitor the material flow during the recycling process?
If collected waste is not channeled into the optimal material flow for recycling, recyclable materials get lost. This not only leads to a waste of resources but also contributes to environmental pollution.
The correct management of waste streams therefore makes it possible to recycle valuable raw materials in the best possible way and reuse them as secondary raw materials. This helps to conserve limited natural resources and reduces the need to use new primary raw materials.
In addition, the collection and recycling of waste often requires less energy than the production of new products from primary raw materials. This leads to energy savings and a reduction in CO2 emissions, which in turn has a positive impact on the environment.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a key lever for financially involving producers in various product categories in the correct collection, sorting, and recycling of waste. Not only producers but also take-back systems, sorting facilities, and buyers of sorted waste have a great interest in optimizing processes relating to the material flow in waste management.
Advantages RIVER offers for players in the French waste management industry
RIVER offers an efficient way to track the material flow of waste. Using the French take-back system Léko as an example, a wide range of stakeholders benefit from the platform. In France, local authorities collect packaging waste separately from residual waste and transport it to sorting plants. There, the waste is divided into individual, more recyclable material fractions and sorted for further processing. These materials can then be taken over by buyers or recyclers and sent for professional recycling.
RIVER offers an efficient way to track the material flow of waste. Using the French take-back system Léko as an example, a wide range of stakeholders benefit from the platform. In France, local authorities collect packaging waste separately from residual waste and transport it to sorting plants. There, the waste is divided into individual, more recyclable material fractions and sorted for further processing. These materials can then be taken over by buyers or recyclers and sent for professional recycling.
Each of the mentioned players can access the digital RIVER platform via a separate application. This means that local authorities as well as sorting plants, buyers, and recyclers benefit from high-quality information in real time.
Communities that use RIVER have the following advantages:
An important work step in sorting plants is taking samples from the delivered waste to analyze it. At regular intervals, employees examine the collected waste manually to determine which material fractions, for example, glass, aluminum, or paper, make up the waste. Using the data from these analyses, RIVER calculates the allocation of the waste to the respective communities or municipalities and can thus trace which waste has been generated in which municipality and how well the separate collection works there.
This results in a significant advantage for communities: the better the packaging waste from a municipality can be recycled, the higher the financial support from Lekó for the municipality. With these funds, the municipality not only pays for the collection and sorting of waste but also for educational campaigns and activities that motivate citizens to separate their waste correctly. This closes the cycle and increases recycling with the help of everyone involved.
Advantages for French communities at a glance:
- The direct reporting of data in a centralized tool saves time.
- The overview of planned and actual financial support from Léko is helpful in budget management.
- Monitoring data in real-time makes it easier to control and plan material flows.
Sorting plants that use RIVER have the following advantages:
As soon as waste has been sorted into the appropriate material fractions (e.g. glass, aluminum, or paper), the sorting system makes these materials available for collection and simultaneously creates so-called “pick-up orders”. Before the introduction of RIVER, information about available materials was transmitted by telephone or email. The platform now sends automated and standardized pick-up orders that can also be received by buyers or recyclers on mobile devices. This creates transparency for the sorting plant as well as for buyers and recyclers and saves valuable time.
Advantages for sorting plants at a glance:
- Pick-up orders are sent automatically and standardized to interested buyers and recyclers.
- Automatic entry of vehicle and loading data saves time and reduces the error rate of manual data entry.
- Manual exchange or synchronization of data between different players is no longer necessary, as all relevant information is already available on the platform.
Buyers and recyclers who use RIVER have the following advantages:
For buyers and recyclers of sorted waste, there are also several advantages to using RIVER. They benefit most from the traceability of the transports. Each outgoing consignment on its way from the sorting plant to the recycler is identified. Even if, for example, changes in the available capacity of transporters or recyclers require rescheduling at short notice, all parties involved always have an up-to-date insight into the progress of the transport and the whereabouts of the material.
Advantages for buyers and recyclers at a glance:
- Data that has already been entered, e.g. from pick-up orders, can be transferred with a single click.
- Data is automatically checked for consistency and plausibility, significantly minimising the error rate of the entered information.
- Processes can be traced, which creates more security and transparency.
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