Military bases on every continent
From Ramstein, to Incirlik, to Okinawa: U.S. military bases can be found on every continent and each and every one of them expects their waste management services to be sustainable, environmentally sound and of the highest quality. REMONDIS Industrie Service helps to make sure that these expectations are met. A responsible task that requires both comprehensive expertise and in-depth knowledge of logistics processes.
A wide range of wastes
REMONDIS Industrie Service has been working as a partner to the U.S. troops for many years now, managing the hazardous waste at their military bases in many regions of the world. The waste materials that they handle there are no different to the materials REMONDIS Industrie Service manages in the civilian world. These range from typical workshop waste (such as engine coolant, solvents and oil-contaminated materials), to gas cylinders, batteries, lye and acids, all the way through to medical waste from the military hospitals. The only substances that they do not deal with are warfare agents, explosives and ammunition.
Top quality recycling and waste management
Their central client here is the Defense Logistics Agency, a Department of Defense Agency that supports all U.S. combat forces – from the Navy, to the Air Force and Army, to the Marine Corps. This agency provides the divisions located around the world with the products they need and manages around five million items. The Defense Logistics Agency is also in charge of organizing waste management at the military bases and ensuring that the systems used comply with the national regulations of the countries in which the units are located. If the local environmental laws are less stringent than the standard guidelines in the USA, then the higher U.S. standards apply. This means that the sustainable hierarchy of ‘reuse, recycling and environmentally sound disposal’ governs every U.S. base, no matter where in the world it may be.
When needed, REMONDIS can also manage the dismantling of decommissioned bases as well as old military facilities.
The Defense Logistics Agency has a global network of waste management providers, including REMONDIS Industrie Service, to ensure this work is executed according to their wishes. The demands on the network partners are high. They must, for example, have a special license to perform these tasks, which must be renewed on a regular basis. Above all, they must have extensive expertise in handling a whole range of different wastes as well as different classes of dangerous goods.
REMONDIS Industrie Service has already worked for U.S. troops and multinational associations in Asia, Africa, Europe and Eurasia.
Local solutions with international logistics
To date, REMONDIS Industrie Service has worked in a total of 13 countries, including areas of conflict, on behalf of the U.S. military as well as for multinational troops such as ISAF and KFOR. These hazmat specialists draw up a bespoke package of services for each individual military project that covers the whole chain of processes – from sample taking and chemical analyses, to sorting, packaging and transport, all the way through to the treatment, recycling and/or disposal of the materials in the company’s own facilities. REMONDIS Industrie Service has set up a complex logistics network to transport the materials – in most cases this involves crossing at least one if not more borders. Taking all ADR and IMDG regulations into account, it arranges for the freight to reach its destination by road, rail and sea. It is also responsible for making sure it has all the documents, notifications and permits that may be needed. Moreover, REMONDIS Industrie Service handles communications with all competent authorities in the country the materials are being shipped from, in the destination country as well as in the transit countries.
Experts for military waste management
REMONDIS Industrie Service has its own Military Service division that is based in the German town of Herne. This coordination center is dedicated entirely to the company’s military clients. Besides the U.S. projects, this center also supports the teams delivering services to other troops, such as the German, Austrian, Canadian and Swiss armed forces. The demand for highly professional services in the area of military hazardous waste management is growing, as climate action and environmental protection become ever more important. The Defense Logistics Agency awarded waste management contracts for Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain to REMONDIS Industrie Service earlier this year as they were found to be the best value. Frank Kampmann from REMONDIS Industrie Service’s international sales department commented: “We not only see this as confirmation of our work but also as an incentive to step up our efforts for the future.”
Image credits: image 1: Adobe Stock: 3784460, creator: dougg
