Is it Simply Waste? Or Can it be Used as Another Resource?
BUSINESS INTERVIEW
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Is it Simply Waste?
Or Can it be Used as Another Resource?
We spoke to Karel Belda, the director of OZO Ostrava about the processing methods for municipal
waste, whether sorng your own waste is necessary, what waste management looks like abroad and his
vision of the future.
In October of this year, you began operation of a new
automatic municipal waste sorter, the first of its kind
in Czechia. What advantage does this sorter provide?
The sorting line is able to sort through mixed waste
and separate out materials that can be used in further
recycling (this includes plastic bottles, cans, foils and
other materials). The machine also sorts for waste
that has no further use in recycling but can be used
for energy, repurposing it to produce spare fuel for
heating plants. This means that only waste that has no
material or energetic value ends up at the dump.
We had wanted to build a similar sorting line for
15 years now, however, we were missing a partner to
take advantage of the spare fuel. Only now, when Veolia
built the first multi-fuel fluid boiler in their heating plant,
the project could finally reach its full potential.
How long did it take to prepare and construct
the sorting line? How long was the testing period?
We had been prepared for a while, we were mainly
waiting to find a partner in energetics that would join us
in the project. After we found someone, preparations
only took a year, construction took another year, and
the testing period was from June to November, so
half a year. We managed to fund this project without
relying on subsidies, which is something I am proud of.
I am of the opinion that subsidies are for the incapable
and they spoil the market environment. We at OZO
are always pro-market.
Is this project a significant development for
the heating industry?
This is the first piece of technology the country has gotten
that can make serious contributions to this development.
Considering the current situation with fossil fuels, this can
offer us some certainty and stability, as there will always
be waste, so putting it to good use is important.
Do you have any other key investments you would like
to talk about?
This is our central investment. In 2030 the ban on storing
usable waste will come into effect, which is something
we are preparing for in advance. Every year, the city of
Ostrava produces around 50 thousand tons of mixed
waste, all of which is now already being sorted and put
to good use thanks to our new sorting line. Of course,
we are continually investing into projects like our waste
collection technologies, the construction and reclamation
of landfills, our composting plants, and many others.
However, the sorting unit is by far our largest investment.
You have been part of your company’s leadership for
many years now. What would you consider important
developments in your work throughout your career?
Working with waste has been on the periphery of
society for a long time. Nowadays the technology has
gotten better, the work has gotten cleaner and many
well educated people have joined the field. I consider
this to be a great development for society. We continue
to develop the company, and maintain our leadership
in multiple aspects, which helps us stand out from
the competition. The amount of waste we process is
steadily increasing, as we also started doing business
in industrial and hazardous waste management. What
I am most proud of, however, is the fact that even after
30 years spent in the field of waste management, we
managed to hold our own against multinational waste
management companies that entered our market after
the revolution prepared to “stomp us out.” Seeing
as the entire management team is full of avid sports
enthusiasts, which makes us pretty competitive, an
environment of ruthless competition helped us move
forward and look for ways to improve our craft. We
enjoyed our job back then, and we continue to enjoy
it now.
Other than processing waste, do you do any other
community work?
Twenty years ago, we founded a center of waste
education for kids from the municipalities in our
customer base. The idea behind this center is to teach
children how to sort their waste, and what they can do to
be more ecological, which is something that should then
hopefully stick with them when they grow up. Working
with children is something truly valuable. We are part of
the few that put this much long-term systematic effort
towards teaching children these habits.
We were also among the first to create a reuse center
for household objects. Items that citizens want to get
rid of, but are still functional and can provide value
are compiled from our collection yards and then
transferred to the reuse center where they are offered
to anyone interested. This project is valuable not only
to socioeconomically worse-off groups, but also to
“
We managed to fund this project
without relying on subsidies,
which is something I am proud of.
I am of the opinion that subsidies
are for the incapable and they spoil
the market environment.
”