Tuesday, 16th June 2009, Vrhnika, Slovenia

Largest hazardous waste treatment plant in Slovenia

Largest hazardous waste treatment plant in Slovenia
In a project that spanned across several years, Kemis, the region's leading hazardous waste management company, has completed its investment into a new state-of-the-art facility. Combining all activities at a single location will improve flexibility, logistics, and, most importantly, safety – both in terms of occupational health and safety, and environment protection. The investment into the most advanced hazardous waste treatment plant in Slovenia amounted to EUR 6.8 million. The plant, effectively the most important environment protection investment of its kind in this year, was inaugurated by Mr. Karl Erjavec, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Franjo Bobinac, Gorenje president and CEO, Mr. Emil Nanut, Kemis director and Mr. Marjan Rihar, Mayor of Vrhnika.

The contemporary facility extends over an area of 4,000 square meters in the vicinity of Vrhnika. Its focal activities will include acceptance, sorting, repackaging, storage, and processing, by various methods, to a form that is appropriate for final use or disposal. The facility was constructed in compliance with the environment protection legislation and other requirements, and it incorporates state-of-the-art technology. Hence, it paves the way for further development of Kemis activities in the field of processing and use of hazardous waste from industry and households.

The plant, effectively the most important environment protection investment of its kind in this year, was inaugurated by Mr. Karl Erjavec, Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Franjo Bobinac, Gorenje president and CEO, Mr. Emil Nanut, Kemis director and Mr. Marjan Rihar, Mayor of Vrhnika.

Emil Nanut, Kemis director: "Our operations are aimed consistently and throughout at mitigating the burden imposed on the environment, reducing the consumption of natural resources, and cutting the waste treatment costs for our customers. By combining our activities at a single location, we have also eliminated the additional environmental load of reloading, internal transport, etc. In addition, the workers at the new plant are offered long-term employment in a perfectly safe and pleasant working environment."

In over twenty years of operation, the company Kemis has processed over 200,000 tons of various, mostly hazardous waste. Thus, it has won the confidence of over 800 Slovenian companies. The investment into the most advanced hazardous waste treatment plant in Slovenia amounted to EUR 6.8 million.

As of 2004, Kemis is owned 100-percent by Gorenje. Gorenje Group strategic plans define ecology as one of the key activities that rests on over five decades of experience and perceived development potential. The vision of the ecology division within the Gorenje Group is to become the leading provider of comprehensive environment protection and waste management services in the region of South-eastern Europe.