Some metals cannot be separated manually during pre-sorting. AVR, in collaboration with partner companies, ensures that all the metals present in the offered residual waste are effectively extracted and recycled. This is an intensive and finely-meshed process during which we use seven magnets and other advanced techniques. Even the ball bearing in a ballpoint pen is extracted and reused. This is also the most hygienic and environmentally-friendly form of recycling for discarded food tins.

We recover 2 kg of metal from every 100 kg of residual waste. This is 7% of the bottom ash – the ash that remains in the bottom of the incinerator and boiler. This 7% of metals comprises 5% ferrous metals (iron, scrap metal) and 2% valuable non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminium, lead, zinc, brass, silver and gold).

AVR works in collaboration with knowledge institutions on innovative solutions for recovering metals from flue gas cleaning residues. There are numerous applications for these metals, such as wire, a protective layer for cars and a zinc layer in drainpipes. They can even be used in baby ointments. This dovetails perfectly with the circular economy ethos: don’t waste raw materials – recycle them.