Valodea, waste treatment and sustainable development

Valodea is a mixed syndicate for managing waste in the Ardennes region which has been a key player since its inception. The firm is located in Charleville-Mézières, and represents 457 municipalities and some 280,907 Ardennes residents (making up 100% of the region’s territory). The syndicate ensures the treatment of waste using private suppliers, with 10 other bodies involved in collection and transportation. The aim at Valodea is to eliminate waste from relevants sites, using optimisation logic to reduce syndicate costs in respect to environmental protection norms. To achieve this, Valodea uses customised facilities such as transfer points, composting bins, landfill sites and a centre for recyclable waste sorting.

In addition to waste treatment Valodea also raises awareness for industry and actively promotes its projects and activities. One of the latest promotions, “My sustainable use” clearly demonstrates the vitality that the syndicate is injecting into the country. The basic idea is to hire out reusable cups for events within the Ardennes region, with the aim of reducing the waste produced by the county. This is a project which has attracted the support of the Ardennes local council amongst others, offering a very attractive rental price of only eight cents per cup for cleaning. Cleaning and processing is carried out by 359 handicapped workers who are distributed across workshops managed by the Ardennes Association for the Promotion of Disabled People. This means that the scheme’s benefits are twofold.

Valodea’s impact on the Ardennes region is indisputable. As well as employing 11 staff members, the production of household and similar refuse has been reduced by almost 10%, with a 1.5% reduction in waste accrual since 2011. This is a great sign for the area and for its sustainable development.

By Ardennes Développement, the Ardennes economic development agency - ardennes-developpement.com