immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Entsorgung

  • Zurich’s dynamic step into the circular economy

    Zurich’s dynamic step into the circular economy

    The implementation of “Circular Zurich” began in early February with the presentation of a detailed agenda that is specifically tailored to the needs of the city administration. However, the strategy also offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) numerous starting points. By adapting individual measures, SMEs can not only act in a more environmentally friendly way, but also benefit financially in the long term.

    Steps for implementation in SMEs
    One fundamental aspect of the circular economy is the efficient recycling and separation of recyclable materials. Sara Graf, project manager at Entsorgung + Recycling Zürich (ERZ), emphasises the importance and simplicity of this measure for companies: recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, PET bottles, glass and aluminium cans can often be recycled free of charge, which leads directly to savings in disposal costs. But recycling is just the beginning.

    Minimising material consumption and optimising processes
    Sonja Gehrig, who heads up the city-wide coordination of “Circular Zurich”, points out that it is important to think beyond the boundaries of the company. Analysing one’s own material consumption and optimising production processes are crucial steps. Ecologically sustainable product design that promotes the reparability and durability of products can not only save companies money, but also lead to new business models such as product hire.

    Extending consumption and use phases
    The final step involves maximising product lifetimes through strategies of sharing, reusing, repairing and remanufacturing. This not only allows products to be used for longer, but also helps to conserve resources. Second-hand platforms and company initiatives that internalise the circular economy are playing an increasingly important role in the circular economy.

    The city as an innovation laboratory
    Zurich sees itself as a testing ground for new, circular ideas and products. City experts are ready to support companies that are striving for innovative solutions. This proactive approach not only strengthens the city’s infrastructure, but also promotes the widespread adoption of circular economy principles.

    With “Circular Zurich”, the city of Zurich is positioning itself as a pioneer in the circular economy, demonstrating how a sustainable transformation can be realised in urban areas through concrete measures and cooperative approaches.

  • SENS eRecycling and partners track disposal of heat pumps on

    SENS eRecycling and partners track disposal of heat pumps on

    SENS eRecyling has developed a sustainable solution for the disposal of heat pumps in cooperation with the Swiss Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology ( GebäudeKlima Schweiz ) and the Swiss Heat Pump Association. Heat pumps that have reached the end of their service life and have been returned to the installer, manufacturer or importer are collected by SENS eRecyling and taken to recycling companies that have the necessary permits and a SENS licence to process such appliances. There, the climate-damaging refrigerant is removed from the heat pumps and professionally destroyed. Raw materials such as metals and plastics are recycled and returned to the raw material cycle.

    SENS eRecycling announced in a press release that the new industry solution will be launched on 1 July. The model will be financed from the advance recycling fee that accrues when a heat pump is purchased. “Many manufacturers and importers see the new industry solution as a way to fulfil their obligation to take back discarded heat pumps in an efficient and uncomplicated way,” SENS eRecycling managing director Pasqual Zopp is quoted as saying in the press release.

    According to Konrad Imbach, managing director of GebäudeKlima Schweiz, the manufacturers and importers of heat pumps who have already joined the industry solution have a market share of 70 to 80 per cent. Stephan Peterhans, managing director of the Swiss Heat Pump Association, is convinced that almost all of the other companies in the sector will also decide to join by the end of the year.

  • Solar module return rate is close to 100 per cent

    Solar module return rate is close to 100 per cent

    Photovoltaic modules installed in Switzerland are almost all recycled at the end of their service life, informs SENS eRecycling in a press release. The foundation, which is organised in the private sector, relieves its partners at manufacturers and importers of the associated work. According to SENS eRecycling, this system benefits manufacturers, importers, homeowners and the environment.

    The price of a solar system already includes an advance recycling fee. This is currently 40 francs per tonne, explains SENS eRecycling. However, the foundation itself currently spends around 440 francs per tonne on collection, transport and recycling. “The financing of the system only works because the current quantities of installed photovoltaic systems still significantly exceed the quantity of discarded material and thus the fund continues to accumulate from year to year,” the statement says. For 2035, SENS eRecycling expects to have to dispose of 70,000 tonnes of photovoltaic modules.

    According to the foundation, the current quantities are too small to make recycling worthwhile for disposal companies in Switzerland. SENS eRecycling is therefore currently working with KWB Plan Real GmbH. The German company has the modules dismantled at a recycling plant near the Swiss border. Metals can be completely recycled, and the glass is used together with the silicon to produce glass wool. In this way, around three quarters of the raw materials can currently be returned to the cycle, according to SENS eRecycling.

  • Switzerland needs 87 million tons of material a year

    Switzerland needs 87 million tons of material a year

    Researchers at the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ) investigated the question: How much does Switzerland consume? The basis was the mass and energy flows for the year 2018. According to the press release , this means that domestic material consumption is 87 million tonnes net per year. That is the mass of material needed to keep the Swiss economy running. This includes, for example, buildings, streets, cars and electricity.

    As an example of outflowing masses, the announcement mentions that 12 million tons end up in the final disposal. The export in the research year 2018 amounted to 18 million tons. A large part of the incoming material remains in the system and allows the "warehouse" to grow by 52 million tons per year (as of 2018). The total weight of the “material warehouse” in Switzerland is around 3.2 billion tons.

    The study is the fourth part of the MatCH project. The abbreviation stands for "Material and energy resources and associated environmental impacts in Switzerland". The project was launched in 2013 on behalf of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and extended over several stages. The first part recorded all material and energy flows in the construction sector; the second covered mobility. And part three was devoted to the production and consumption of the other goods that are imported, obtained domestically and exported.

    The work now presented is part four, which brings a synthesis of the findings from the three previous ones. The team also analyzed how the behavior of the population affects greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to per capita consumption data, the researchers also analyzed personal behavior. The message states that if all residents behaved like the fifth of the population with the most exemplary lifestyle, Switzerland's total greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 16 percent. If, on the other hand, everyone behaved like the fifth with the least ecological lifestyle, emissions would rise by 17 percent.

  • "The city of Zug should become greener"

    "The city of Zug should become greener"

    To person
    Eliane Birchmeier (FDP) has been city councilor and head of the building department of the city of Zug since January 2019. The 58-year-old studied business administration and is federally certified. dipl. PR consultant and founded Birchmeier Communications AG based in Zug in 2005. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Kursaal-Casino AG from 2004 to 2017 and co-owner of C-Matrix Communications AG from 1992 to 2004.

    You are the head of the building department of the city of Zug. Where do you see your core tasks?
    Eliane Birchmeier: My core tasks include the classic areas of responsibility in construction: On the one hand, there are building permits and building projects for city-owned civil engineering and structural engineering projects. On the other hand, we deal with planning, design and legal aspects in town planning and urban planning. This is about the future development of the city of Zug in terms of urban development and spatial planning with settlement, landscape and traffic.

    The city of Zug is forecast to have around 10,000 population growth by 2040. What structural measures are planned to do justice to this development?
    The forecast growth depends on the development of the project by private owners and investors. We have already done our homework in many areas. For example, when it comes to infrastructure projects in the areas of drainage, energy and disposal. In education, we – like other communities in Switzerland – have a certain amount of catching up to do. Various plans are currently underway for expanded and new school facilities. But we also want to upgrade the green and open spaces and improve the network of footpaths and bike paths in the coming years.

    The economy should also continue to grow. Where do you see the greatest potential for new commercial buildings?
    There is still great potential for expansion for trade and services in various former industrial and urban areas. These include the technology cluster with the V-Zug area, urban areas east and west of the station such as Metalli, Baarerstrasse West and the LG area. Then there is the area on the Aa II, which is being developed by the Zuger Verkehrsbetriebe, the Hertizentrum and the outer Lorzenallmend. In the future, these areas will offer mixed, urban uses of living, leisure and work.

    Where in the canton can you find larger land reserves?
    As elsewhere in the canton, growth in the city of Zug will mainly take place in the interior through densification. In addition, there are a few construction areas that have not yet been built up, such as the outer Lorzenallmend, areas in the Herti and Unterfeld, in the Lüssi / Göbli and in a southerly direction in the Salesianum and in Oberwil. Actual zoning is not the focus of ongoing local planning.

    "We expect planning applications for the Lüssi / Göbli area and the area of the Salesianum country house soon"

    Which projects are planned there?
    In the outer Lorzenallmend, a development plan is being drawn up for a residential and work area and in Herti Süd one for a residential development. There are currently no plans in the Herti Nord, Unterfeld or Spielhof. In the Lüssi / Göbli and the Salesianum there are legally binding development plans for residential developments. We expect planning applications for this in the near future.

    What are currently the most important construction projects that you are involved in?
    City-owned projects are the construction of the recycling center and the Ökihof in the north of the city. School complexes are being planned and projected throughout the city. The project competition for the extension of the lido starts this year, and in summer the Zug population will be able to use the new emergency rooms in the Göbli district.

    The city of Zug is in the middle of the local plan revision process. Is there already an initial strategy for mobility and open space?
    The city's spatial development strategy will be drawn up in several stages and steps up to autumn 2021. The first thrusts based on the technical basis, the population survey and the first participation phase are clearly emerging: the city should become greener. In addition, a diverse and high-quality range of different open spaces should be available to the population.

    What does the population want?
    She would like the growth in mobility to be absorbed by expanding and promoting pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well as public transport. Traffic routing in the center is to be simplified and designed in a way that is compatible with settlement. Particular attention is paid to optimizing commuter traffic. In cooperation with the canton and neighboring communities, but also with employers, we are focusing on an increased shift towards public transport, which is already excellently developed, and non-motorized private transport.

  • City of Zurich liquidates Fernwärme Zürich AG

    City of Zurich liquidates Fernwärme Zürich AG

    The waste incineration plant Josefstrasse has reached the end of its service life and will therefore be shut down on March 31, the civil engineering and waste disposal department of the city of Zurich informed in a message . The area managed by the Josefstrasse plant will in future be supplied with district heating from the Hagenholz plant via a new connection line, it said.

    The Josefstrasse cogeneration plant has been operated by the City of Zurich together with Energie Baden-Württemberg AG ( EnBW ) since 2011. The municipal service department ERZ Disposal + Recycling Zurich was responsible for operations. EnBW was responsible for the procurement of waste in neighboring countries. The two partners founded Fernwärme Zürich AG (FWZ) for the joint operation of the waste-to-energy plant.

    With the closure of the Josefstrasse plant, the two partners are now ending their cooperation. As previously contractually agreed, the City of Zurich is therefore buying up EnBW's 40 percent stake in FWZ. The notification puts the purchase price at 480,000 francs. Following the complete takeover by the City of Zurich, the FWZ is to be liquidated.