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Environmental protection at Saubermacher

Campaign: "Schule auf dem Weg nach draußen"
["Schools on the way outside"]
Saubermacher supports the Styrian Mountain Rescue & Nature Watch services in the project to inspire pupils for nature and protection of nature. During the coming year Saubermacher will accompany several campaigns - entirely in the sense of the corporate motto: "For a worthwhile environment". For financing the planned activities, Saubermacher CEO Hans Roth provides his emoluments as representative of the specialised group "Waste & Sewage Management" to the Styrian Economic Chamber.
Regular clean-up campaigns
Within the framework of the environmental campaign "Clean Alps - clean waters 2006", Saubermacher regularly supports the waste collection campaigns of the Austrian Alpine Protection Association. Alone in Styria, the natural surroundings were freed of about 30,000 to 40,000 litres of waste in this way in the previous year. In addition, clean-up campaigns on Mount Everest, in the "Hohe Tauern" mountain range as well as the Himalaya show that Saubermacher pitches in for a cleaner environment.
Equipping Saubermacher company passenger vehicles with sooty particle filters
The Saubermacher company passenger vehicles are already serially equipped with particle filters - they received an upgrading in 2006 with efficient particle filters from the firm REMUS (with the exception of vehicles which were to be exchanged anyway in 2006).
Saubermacher HGVs drive with Pankl catalytic converter
Saubermacher equips the disposal vehicles with the particle oxidation catalytic converter from Pankl. With this new type of catalytic converter, the particle mass emitted by the motor can be reduced by up to 75%, and the number of emitted particles can be reduced by over 90% - and in this manner provides an important contribution towards the environment.
Fast Forward Award 2006
Saubermacher received the Styrian Technology Prize in the category "Special Ecology Prize" for the joint project "ATP Mellach Sewage Sludge Co-incineration". Upon the entry into force of the 2004 "Waste Disposal Site Ordinance", untreated or merely dehydrated sewage sludge may no longer be deposited. After composting, the majority of sewage sludge ends up in the realm of agriculture or landscaping, and is applied to the soil (including pollutants). One possibility of recycling or disposal of sewage sludge is the co-incineration in coal-fired power stations. In the special case of the Mellach district heating power station, Saubermacher found a competent partner in the "VERBUND-Austrian Thermal Power GmbH & Co KG" (ATP combine). And in this manner they protect our environment and our health on a lasting basis.
Environmental Forum: no sewage sludge as fertiliser
The event "Environmental Forum 2006" (organised by Saubermacher) was marked by the meaningful recycling of waste products from wastewater purification. The goal of the event was to show a meaningful alternative to sewage sludge disposal, but not to polarise. Sewage sludge co-incineration is a recycling complement, and should also be seen as such. Since the tipping of sewage sludge is forbidden according to the Waste Disposal Site Ordinance, this alternative is another step towards implementation. At the same time, the co-incineration of sewage sludge offers a high degree of energy utilisation and is a solution of the pollutant problem.
Ökoprofit Award 2006 - Saubermacher environmental measures
The environmental situation at the Vienna location was substantially improved on account of Saubermacher's considerable improvements in matters of energy, emissions and waste avoidance - whereupon Saubermacher also received the Ökoprofit Award 2006 in Vienna.

Measures which were taken at the location:
- The windows of the office building were serviced and reset - 1,000 litres of heating oil will be saved annually as a result
- The splitting plant was put in a housing and equipped with a source suction mechanism - as a result, there are fewer dust emissions and lower noise & odour emissions
- Environmental operative planning system - recordings of diesel consumption of HGVs and work machines are made here; as a result, outliers can be determined quickly
- Washing instructions for the washing box (HGVs and work machines are to be washed on a weekly basis) - here the water consumption was able to be lowered by ca. 5 %
Ökoprofit Award 2005 - Saubermacher measures for a worthwhile environment

Measures which were taken at the location:
- Procurement of a special sewer flushing vehicle with water recycling capability
- Ecological savings driving training (locations: CvH headquarters + Puchstraße)
- Switch to ecological electricity (headquarters, Conrad von Hötzendorfstraße)
- Processing commercial waste into high-quality secondary fuel in a commercial waste splitting plant (location: Puchstraße)
- Test installation of a "Moto-Flow Magnet" on a forklift (Puchstraße)
- Sanitation of the drainage canals (headquarters, Conrad von Hötzendorfstraße)
- Procurement of a dosing mechanism for admixture cleaning agent when washing HGVs (headquarters, CvH)
- Construction of an additional water connection for filling sewage cleaning vehicles with industrial water - savings of 3 trips daily to Puchstraße (CvH)
- Increasing the material recycling rate (Puchstraße)
- Installation of a special filter for cleansing the laboratory exhaust air (CvH)
Support during installation of a dragonfly pond
(Naturschutzbund ["Friends of Nature"])
Cleaning the Mur River embankment
(Mountain Rescue & Nature Watch)
Saubermacher supports the Mur riverbank cleaning operation in cooperation with the Mountain Rescue & Nature Watch, and thus frees the largest Styrian river of waste that always accumulates there.
Employee carpool via intranet
In the in-house network, employees can form carpools within the Saubermacher locations, and thus provide a small contribution towards a worthwhile environment.
Establishment of the wholly-owned subsidiary "ThermoTeam"
In 2003, Team GmbH opened the largest facility for production of alternative fuels. Valuable resources are spared and our environment is protected on a lasting basis here through the utilisation of high-quality substitute fuels in the cement industry.