Paris, France and the History and Progress of the Waste Management Business - December 2020

Paris, France and the History and Progress of the Waste Management Business - December 2020

**Beginning of the 1990s: Growing Environmental Awareness and Infrastructure Formation**.
In 1997, the world's third largest waste management company was created in France. This company had the capacity to process about 5 million tons of waste per year and introduced recycling technologies, mainly in urban areas. Waste-to-energy technology has attracted particular attention, and a facility in the suburbs of Paris has begun an initiative to supply electricity to approximately 50,000 households per year.

**2000s: International Expansion and Deepening Recycling**.
In the 2000s, the French waste management business expanded internationally, led by Veolia and Suez. Infrastructure was built to handle more than 10 million tons of waste annually in urban areas in Africa and Asia. Domestically, a waste-to-energy facility outside Paris processed 800,000 tons of waste annually and provided electricity for 600,000 households. In addition, plastics and glass were reused in accordance with a national goal of raising the recycling rate to 50%.

**2010s: Digitalization and Sustainable Technology Innovation**.
In the 2010s, waste management using IoT and AI became widespread. In Bordeaux, smart bins with sensors improved collection efficiency by 10%. In Casablanca, Morocco, and in Southeast Asia, facilities began operating to process 350,000 to 500,000 tons of waste per year. Domestically, a recycling facility was installed in Lyon to reclaim 45,000 tons of plastic waste per year, bringing the recycling rate to 55% throughout France. In addition, a hazardous waste treatment facility safely disposed of 200,000 tons of chemicals per year.

**2020s: integration and further evolution**.
In the 2020s, the integration of Veolia and Suez creates one of the world's largest waste treatment companies, with annual sales of 37 billion euros and a treatment capacity of more than 50 million tons. A state-of-the-art waste-to-energy facility outside Paris processes 800,000 tons of waste per year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 50%. In Lyon, aluminum and glass recycling rates have reached more than 85% each, and the Paris metropolitan area is using IoT to manage waste across the entire region.

**Summary**.
France's waste management business has been developing since the 1990s, and since the 2000s, it has been expanding internationally, digitizing, and innovating sustainably, and by the 2020s, it is expected to scale up through integration and technological evolution, making it a model case for driving economic growth while reducing environmental impact. The company has been attracting attention as a model case for promoting economic growth while reducing environmental burdens.