Smart waste management from Europress to the world
In this series of articles, we present the experts behind the Europress SMART system and share their thoughts regarding how smart waste management is changing the operating environment of the circular economy.
Europress delivers smart waste management solutions for all needs, from single local locations to international chains. In addition to Finland, our operations cover international markets extensively through our subsidiaries and network of partners.
Our sales team represents the top professionals in the industry, including many waste management experts with decades of experience. Marko Aaltio has worked at Europress in various development and management positions for 25 years, giving a unique perspective on the development of the waste management industry over the decades.
“More waste is sorted these days, which is a good thing. I see this as part of the long-term development of the industry, and it will continue because it makes sense for the environment,” Aaltio says.
The increase in sorting has presented challenges to the development of solutions. In Finland and many other European countries, the sorting of different waste fractions has been common for a long time, but the process is still being further refined with the addition of new recyclable fractions. Collecting plastics has become mainstream in recent years, and the separation of textiles from dry waste sent for incineration is increasing. Landfills are no longer favored, as the aim is to utilize all waste either as a recycled material or as a fuel for energy production. What is important is that the value of the material is maintained throughout the recycling chain.
“With such a wide range of waste fractions, more and more is being demanded from recycling systems. But how can this be done economically? Smart solutions provide the answer,” confirms Aaltio, who is currently responsible at Europress for developing business among our international networks.
Care must be taken to ensure that the value of the sorted material is not lost but maintained for the users of the recycled material.
Since the sorting and recycling chain involves multiple different stages and actors, care must be taken to ensure that the value of the sorted material is not lost but maintained for the users of the recycled material. If this does not happen, recycling is simply not worth it. This requires seamless collaboration between actors and that each link in the chain operates effectively. The role of Europress in all this is to optimise the equipment and services used to collect and transport different waste fractions.
“Europress has continuously developed its solutions over time to make them increasingly efficient in terms of both collection and transport. By adding intelligence, we can optimize the whole process – and there will be even more opportunities using smart data in the future,” Aaltio adds.
However, interest there is growing all the time because sorting, recycling and more efficient waste management are topical issues also in these markets.
Through our subsidiaries and partners, Europress operates not only throughout Finland but also extensively in Europe and Russia. Our network today even extends to the Middle East, the Far East and Australia. Each market is at a slightly different stage in the move towards more precise sorting and the use of smart solutions.
“In Russia and Eastern Europe, for example, the Europress SMART system is still a new thing. However, interest there is growing all the time because sorting, recycling and more efficient waste management are topical issues also in these markets,” says Aaltio.
Smart waste management solutions are becoming easier to use with the support of our expert staff. At the same time, they offer more cost-effective, safe to use and environmentally friendly ways to handle a company’s sorting and recycling obligations. With the Europress SMART system, companies can reduce both their costs and their environmental loads at their locations in both Finland and other countries.
