Waste Management Segment

The Waste Management Segment handles a total waste volume of around 1.7 million tonnes a year at 24 facilities (previous year: 1.7 million). Due to modern logistics and the extensive network of facilities, this waste is collected, treated, thermally processed or disposed of in a commercially and environmentally state-of-the-art process.

Energie AG’s Waste Management Segment is certified with regard to quality (ISO 9001:2015), occupational health and safety (ISO 45001:2018), the environment (ISO 14001:2015) and as a qualified waste management operator (RAEF). In 2013, Umwelt Service GmbH was the first waste management company operating across Austria to successfully roll out EMAS validation for all its locations (Regulations (EC) No. 1221/2009 and 2017/1505 of the European Parliament). Ultimately, all these measures help to ensure efficient use of resources and prevention or reduction of emissions while actively involving customers, staff and owners.

Investing in the highest technical standards and in environmental and climate protection is one of the foundation stones of the Waste Management Segment’s business activity.

The environmental targets of the Waste Management Segment as of 25 June 2020 are stated in the current environmental declaration pursuant to EMAS.

A project for the determination of the CO₂ footprint Scope 1 and 2 by the Federal Environmental Office was implemented in fiscal year 2019/2020. The CO₂ statement includes the resulting greenhouse gas emissions from exported electricity, heat and steam delivered to users outside of the system boundary. The emissions of the energetic input for raw material substitution and recovery as well as for the provisioning of substitute fuels and those from refrigeration appliance demanufacturing are included.

Internal audits guarantee the process control with respect to legal compliance with environmental regulations. This focuses on the Austrian Legal Information System, monitoring of requirements (laws, regulations, administrative decisions) in the Gutwin legal database and ensuring that waste is obtained and stored legally. In addition, the externally certified environmental management system guarantees that negative impacts of processes on the environment are identified and can then be prevented or mitigated accordingly.

When providing waste management services, care is taken to ensure that resources are conserved as much as possible. Key plans in this area include reducing CO₂ emissions with a modern fleet of trucks, rolling out e-business (automating commercial processes), increasing energy efficiency and decreasing overall energy consumption.

In addition, the slag remaining after waste incineration is recycled at the Wels plant. In a multi-stage mechanical separation process, iron and other content remaining in the slag after incineration is removed. These raw materials (aluminium, copper, brass and stainless steel) are separated, recycled and returned into the metal processing cycle, which in comparison to primary production also saves CO₂ emissions. The recycling of the metals additionally reduces the use of the landfill in Wels and thereby prevents the need to use other landfills and the associated truck journeys and fuel consumption.

Biomonitoring, a scientifically-based control method, is used to track pollutant emissions at the Wels waste incineration plant. The effects of the thermal treatment plant’s operation on the environment are measured continuously at several fixed points in and around the site.

In terms of energy efficiency in the Waste Management Segment, the Group pays particular attention to the energetic effectiveness of the grate firing and circulating fluidised-bed waste incineration plants. Compliance with the efficiency criteria under Directive 2008/98/EC is assessed on an annual basis. Efficient electricity conversion and/or heat extraction are crucial factors in fulfilling these criteria. As far as technically possible, process water, rain water or seepage is used instead of potable water in the production plants.

In order to keep the incineration plants up to date with the latest technology and warrant an uninterrupted security of waste management, the incineration plants are regularly inspected with a focus on the replacement of bigger system components. The replacement of the waste crane in the waste incineration plant in Wels was prepared in fiscal year 2019/2020.

The Waste Management Segment also offers water supply and waste water management services to cities and municipalities across Austria. Only the pipelines are owned by the segment. There is no noteworthy water loss from the lines, with the differences between the measuring points at wells or tanks and water meter chambers at the customer’s end falling within the range of the water meters’ measurement tolerances.

Energie AG only has limited influence over non-revenue water in the distribution grids of the local authorities that are served, as the municipalities who own the infrastructure in these areas have the power to decide on any measures (upgrades, investments, etc.). Energie AG carries out monitoring, measurements and broad-based analysis and formulates proposed measures for decision-makers to reduce non-revenue water.