Archive of news from the
Wiederkehr Group

A commentary by Pilippe Scherer, CEO/Chairman of the Executive Board, Peter Wiederkehr Holding AG:

«We all bear responsibility for environmental protection and sustainability. Our goal is to extract 100% of the recyclable materials from the delivered goods and return them to the circular economy. We use innovative inventions and imaginative solutions to counteract not only the depletion of fossil resources, but also the finite reserves of raw materials.

We have been professionalizing recycling for 65 years. In doing so, we pay attention to environmentally friendly operations and, for example, promote delivery by rail
directly to the company premises. We also want to take care of our employees; they are the heart of Wiederkehr Recycling AG.

With our newsletters, we want to inform not only the population of Waltenschwil and our customers, but also our partners and all interested parties.»

Wiederkehr offers extensive recycling services at the highest technical level; so that our environment can be sustainably preserved.

Before we start a site visit, we are kindly asked to wear appropriate guest shoes with steel caps, as well as a reflective vest and a helmet. The employees are also equipped with them. Safety is a top priority at Wiederkehr Recycling AG, especially since trucks and train containers operate on the premises; powerful cranes also lift heavy parts into the air, scrap piles are accumulated, and even decommissioned ships or train cars are delivered.

The renowned Waltenschwil company has the largest scrapyard and shredder in Switzerland. On-site, not only precious metals like aluminum, lead, bronze, copper, or titanium are extracted, but as a comprehensive waste disposal provider, Wiederkehr offers solutions for all recycling problems.

Pioneering for environmental protection
As early as 1959, Xaver Wiederkehr founded the company to pioneer the recycling of valuable materials. Since then, the demand for raw materials for industrial production has continually increased. Accordingly, the importance of recycling has increased. For example, Switzerland today has a well-established system for recycling aluminum waste. 90 percent are processed, which requires significantly less energy than new production. At Wiederkehr Recycling AG, among other things, aluminum cans from recycling centers are mechanically sorted, cleaned, and pressed for resale.

Recycling markets in transition
The automotive market illustrates that the recycling business is in a constant state of change. Xaver Wiederkehr founded the company when it was common to set fire to and abandon old vehicles in the countryside. The young district chief decided to industrially professionalize this disposal. Today, strict legal regulations and controls apply, which is why the scrapping of old vehicles is organized, documented, and monitored according to established procedures.

Despite the increasing degree of mobility, the automotive market has been declining for years because vehicles are more durable, used cars are traded internationally, and the composition of materials has changed. In the past, for example, far more metals were used in the chassis than is the case today.

Innovative inventions
Scrap consists of various materials. This mixture is unloaded on the premises in front of the imposing shredder. Shredders and shears break down the material so that it can be further transported on conveyor belts to the sorting facilities. The professional dismantling of the scrap requires a lot of experience; it is know-how that the employees, as long-standing staff of Wiederkehr Recycling AG, acquire and which makes them valued specialists.

Certain residual materials are still difficult to sort. Therefore, the company has developed a special float-sink system. In the water, for example, PET floats, and PVC sinks. Depending on the material to be tested, the water density can be adjusted so that it can be optimally filtered.

Flexibility and innovation are a cornerstone for the success of Wiederkehr Recycling AG due to the constantly changing requirements and demands of recycling. A future challenge, for example, is the disposal of solar cells. Currently, they are burned except for the aluminum frame because it is not yet worth extracting the silver from the panels.

The research department of Wiederkehr Recycling AG contributes to making recycling efficient and environmentally friendly by developing new industrial plants.

On the morning of Wednesday, 3 July 2024, a fire broke out on the Wiederkehr Recycling AG site in Waltenschwil. It is believed that a lithium-ion battery ignited itself and triggered the fire in a pile of electronic waste. The fire was quickly put out by the fire brigade. No one was hurt.

Batteries and rechargeable batteries are included in most electronic devices. If they are empty or have exceeded their service life, they must be disposed of as hazardous waste. If this is not done professionally, safety risks can arise even in recycling companies. Lithium-ion batteries are characterised by high energy density and high performance. If damaged, they can cause short circuits, which can lead to overheating, spontaneous ignition and ultimately to fire.

Safety measures at Wiederkehr Recycling
Wiederkehr Recycling has implemented comprehensive security measures to prevent incidents of this type as far as is possible. The safety concept includes regular risk analyses, the constant review and adaptation of safety precautions, raising awareness among employees and training them, training on the correct handling of hazardous materials, fire monitoring and quality checks when pollutants are removed, and the careful removal of batteries from electronic waste. Unfortunately, despite these measures, incidents can still occur.

Recycling electronic waste
The recycling of electronic waste is a demanding task and must be carried out by specialised companies. As one of the largest and most modern recycling companies in Switzerland, Wiederkehr Recycling AG takes this responsibility seriously and does everything it can to continuously improve safety standards through innovative approaches in order to prevent such fires from occurring in the first place.

Swiss-style wrestler Joel Strebel is a key partner and ambassador for Wiederkehr’s sponsoring commitments. We’re delighted that he has already clocked up some major successes. On 4 June 2023, he took another crown at Aargau Cantonal Wrestling Festival 2023 in Möhlin, where he bagged four wins and two drawn rounds. We would like to congratulate Joel Strebel and wish him all the best for his upcoming wrestling events. These will be further milestones towards his big goal – the Swiss wrestling festival ESAF 2025 in Glarus.

True to our corporate values, the Wiederkehr Group is heavily involved in sponsoring. See our overview to find out about our amazing sponsoring partners.

We report on Joel Strebel’s events and success stories on a separate web page: Joel Strebel – The Road to Glarus 

We are delighted to celebrate long-serving employees’ work anniversaries, as they have contributed to our success. Mark Berger has achieved 10 years of loyalty and experience. He joined in 2013 at the Waltenschwill site, and 10 years later, he’s now an expert on the material handler. He also operates the crane excavator to load the shredder. However, it doesn’t matter which powerful machine he is operating: his work is always reliable and of high quality. Maik Berger is a strong team player who prefers to avoid the limelight himself, and instead sent in a photo of his machine, the material handler.  Of course, the Wiederkehr Group Management Board extends its congratulations on the anniversary and its thanks for his loyalty to the company in person.

Every year, our commitment to the environment is reflected in SBB Cargo’s emissions report, among others. In 2022, we saved an impressive 6,116 lorry journeys by deliberately opting for rail instead of road for a significant portion of our transportation needs. This reduced our emitted pollutants by a remarkable 852 tonnes of CO₂.

We are delighted to be able to press ahead with our commitment to protecting the environment by taking these kinds of proactive measures. You can read more about the action we’re taking on sustainability here.

The new year sees the start of our collaboration with successful Swiss wrestler Joel Strebel as part of an official sponsorship deal. Having already played an important role as a key sponsor of the Aargau Cantonal Wrestling Festival in July 2022, Wiederkehr Recycling AG is taking its support of Swiss wrestling to the next level in the form of this sponsorship deal with Joel Strebel. Based in Aristau, Freiamt’s Athlete of the Year 2021 works as a landscape gardener in his parents’ business and has strong links to our region. Dynamic and down-to-earth, his pleasant and authentic air reflects our values: ‘traditional and modern’. Joel Strebel has already taken the crown at various events on numerous occasions and is working towards the 2025 Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Glarus. Wiederkehr Recycling AG is delighted to support Joel Strebel on his journey to the next ESAF – we wish him the very best of luck!

More about Wiederkehr Group’s sponsorship campaign

Wouldn’t it be great to give enthusiastic school children a taster of what it’s like to be a Recyclist? We were delighted to open the doors to our Waltenschwil site to do just that in celebration of National Future Day! A varied programme of activities wowed groups of young visitors again and again and made the day educational and diverse: equipped with helmets, high-visibility vests and safety shoes, they started the tour through our head office and the scrap yard, which is the biggest in Switzerland. Our 3,000 hp shredder was a particular highlight for the crowd of students – not surprising considering it holds the record for being the biggest in the country. They then had fun testing their knowledge: is it aluminium, brass, steel, zinc or copper? Who knows the difference? How many aluminium cans are there in our Alucube recycled product? They had lunch with their parents, and site manager Daniel Friedrich and head of production Naim Emini gave the children the opportunity to ask questions and discuss what they’d seen and discovered with their peers. Their interest in our Recyclist apprenticeships was sparked on National Future Day. More information is available to anyone on our careers website, whether they attended the National Future Day or not.

Expertise and experience are important factors behind the success of our business, so we’re delighted we can count on so many longstanding employees. Arben Krasniqi at our Waltenschwil site is one of them, having joined our company 15 years ago on 1 November 2007. Arben works on the sink-float system, where he is responsible for the specific operations performed there, and is highly valued as a reliable, versatile member of the team, who is always happy to help. To mark his 15 years at the company, Arben received congratulations and a thank-you gift from Waltenschwil Site Manager Daniel Friedrich (left) and Health & Safety Officer Christoph Vögele (right). The Wiederkehr Group Management Board would like to congratulate Arben on his 15 years at Wiederkehr Recycling and thank him for his loyalty to our company, which we greatly appreciate.

On Saturday, 8 October 2022, a number of vintage trucks gathered at the AVO Wiederkehr Recycling AG site in Schwarzenbach to be marvelled at. The various vehicles from yesteryear attracted many curious visitors.

On 1 September 2022, Remo Luongo was congratulated on his 20-year career at Wiederkehr Recycling AG. Remo is a qualified recyclist with a Swiss certificate of proficiency, and as a company employee and plant manager, he acts as deputy team leader of Produktion Leicht. He has also undertaken further training to become a radiation protection officer and works as an apprentice mentor. The tasks and responsibilities assigned to Remo alone demonstrate how reliable, motivated and ambitious an employee he is. For that reason, he is highly regarded among the entire team and his superiors. Wiederkehr Recycling is proud to be able to celebrate an extremely experienced and multifaceted expert on his enduring commitment and loyalty to the company. Site manager Daniel Friedrich (left) passes on the best wishes of the Executive Board to Remo Luongo (right).

We are very proud to congratulate Ujjwal Pokhrel und Hans Rüsch on successfully completing their three-year apprenticeship as Recycling Operators with EFZ (federal VET diploma) and are delighted that they will continue working for our company after their apprenticeships, contributing their energy and up-to-the-minute knowledge. We would also like to thank Mr Remo Luongo, our apprenticeship supervisor, for supporting and encouraging our apprentices in their practical work.

The Wiederkehr team

We’re delighted to be able to count on such longstanding employees at Wiederkehr Recycling AG! On 2 May 2022, we’re once again expressing our thanks and congratulations for another anniversary at our Waltenschwil site: Bernardino Silva Da Mota has been an integral part of our team for 15 years. He has a wide breadth of skills and duties, which is why he’s worked on a range of equipment, including Becker shredders, baling, sorting facilities, DHM and ECS and also worked efficiently as a wheel loader, forklift and truck driver. He is a reliable and careful employee, and is valued as a friendly colleague who is always happy to help. Wiederkehr Recycling AG would like to congratulate him on this anniversary and thank him for his longstanding loyalty to our company. Ernst Hürlimann (left), Team Leader at Wiederkehr Recycling AG, hands Bernardino Silva Da Mota his anniversary gift in grateful recognition of his many years of service.

As the leading Swiss recycling company and main sponsor of this year’s Aargau cantonal Schwingen festival, we’re happy to also be ensuring the optimum reuse of raw materials on the ‘Chäbere’ festival site in Beinwil/Freiamt. As part of our commitment to regional sport, we aim to not only provide sponsorship contributions, but also to utilise our recycling expertise and do our part in ensuring a successful cantonal Schwingen festival in our region. We look forward to a great event full of joy, strength and sawdust!

Be there when the ‘Bösen’ show what they can do. There is free entry onto the site, and there are plenty of food and drink stalls to keep guests going between the ‘Schwingen’ contests.

Sponsoring

No team has ever recovered from three matches down to win the Swiss National League playoff finals – until now, that is. EV Zug pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Zurich’s ZSC Lions and secure its third Swiss National League championship (after 1998 and 2021). Wiederkehr Recycling AG, a proud Bossard Arena board sponsor, would like to congratulate EV Zug on its fantastic success. (Images: SRF screenshots)

We’re delighted to be celebrating another anniversary at our Waltenschwil site: Alberto Manuel Ferreira has been supporting us for an impressive 15 years. Whether he’s operating the shredder or the shears, Alberto puts his strong knowledge of our recycling processes to work in his role as a metalworker, and expertly carries out maintenance and repairs to our facilities. He also supports our activities through welding and work with the forklift and hydraulic lift. We are very happy that we can continue to rely on Alberto’s valued, reliable, conscientious and loyal contribution to our company. Wiederkehr Recycling AG would like to congratulate him on this anniversary and thank him for his longstanding loyalty to our company. Jacques Hartmann (right), Site Manager of Wiederkehr Recycling AG, hands Alberto Manuel Ferreira (left) a luxurious gift basket in appreciation of his work.

By shifting a significant proportion of our transport from road to rail, we’re proactively increasing our commitment to the environment.

According to the SBB Cargo report, the Wiederkehr Group saved a remarkable 6,756 lorry journeys in 2021 by increasing its use of rail. This enabled a considerable reduction in harmful emissions – such as 887 tonnes less CO₂, to name just one of the impressive figures!

The Wiederkehr Group is proud to have made this further contribution to environmental protection. You can read more about the responsible action we’re taking on sustainability here.

Wiederkehr Recycling, a proud Bossard Arena Zug board sponsor, congratulates the EVZ team on qualifying for the quarterfinals. Thank you for the thrilling moments in the regular season, and we wish the team a successful quarterfinal.

Our shift worker Antonio Da Cruz Luis celebrated his 20th anniversary at Wiederkehr Recycling AG on 11 February 2022 – an extraordinary anniversary for an extraordinarily reliable and motivated employee. The multitalented Antonio Da Cruz Luis has put his longstanding expertise in production and processes to work across a range of facilities and areas, including separation, sorting facilities, shredders and baling. He’s also a quick, safe and expert wheel loader and forklift truck operator. His team and managers value his friendly and helpful manner. Wiederkehr Recycling AG would like to congratulate him on this anniversary and thank him for his longstanding loyalty to our company. Team Leader Ernst Hürlimann (left) hands Antonio Da Cruz Luis (right) a well-earned token of appreciation.

For 10 years now, our purchasing administration team has been able to rely on the valuable support of Ms Deborah Miano (right). She makes a significant contribution to the team and also supports us in weighing and at reception at Waltenschwil. Wiederkehr Recycling AG would like to thank her for her long-standing loyalty to the company, and we look forward to continuing our work together. In the picture, Martina Wirth (left), Head of Administration Purchasing and Sales, presents the jubilarian Deborah Miano with a well-deserved recognition.

Pedro Dos Santos has worked at Wiederkehr Recycling’s Waltenschwil site for 10 years. His tasks range from separating materials and organising them according to their type and quality, through driving and operating a forklift, to cleanup and repair work. Wiederkehr Recycling AG would like to congratulate Pedro Dos Santos on his 10-year anniversary and thank him for his hard work and loyalty.

In order to further optimise the Wiederkehr Group’s logistics services for our clients, we’ve created a new department, Wiederkehr Logistics, as of 1 December 2021. The nine-person Logistics team will be led by expediter Joel Basler. We’d like to wish them all a strong start and safe travels!

On 9 November 1981, Alois Keller began his career at Wiederkehr Recycling AG as a crane operator and employee in the company’s workshop, metalworking shop and garage. Twenty-three years later, on 23 January 2004, he took over the role of Lead Metalworker; five years after that, on 1 September 2009, he became Team Leader for Scrap Metal Recycling, a position of significant responsibility. A 40-year anniversary doesn’t happen every day. Wiederkehr Recycling AG is therefore particularly proud to be able to congratulate Alois on this extraordinary occasion and his many years of loyalty to the company. Jacques Hartmann (right), Site Manager of Wiederkehr Recycling AG Waltenschwil, celebrated the anniversary with Alois and his team at a small event.

Wiederkehr Recycling AG supports the traditional local floorball club as an official main sponsor of UHC Blue Sharks Waltenschwil. The club comprises nine teams, from Juniors F to Men’s 1, and the top team was promoted to the second division in 2019. With this sponsorship, Wiederkehr Recycling is supporting regional sport, and is committed to promoting young talent. After a difficult start to the season due to the pandemic, it’s even more pleasing that the teams are now able to compete in the championship and in tournaments again. We wish all of the UHC Blue Sharks teams every success!

Many of our employees have been with us for a long time and they are the foundation for our success. Ernst Hürlimann (on the left in the photo) is a great example of this. He started his Wiederkehr career on 1 October 2001, working in the workshop and as a shredder operator. Three years later, he switched to demanding shift work, primarily in Hall 7. This was the perfect move, as became clear over the years: in 2013, Ernst Hürlimann took over as manager of Hall 7, and he is still successfully performing this role to this day. On 1 October 2021, this widely respected employee was congratulated on his anniversary by Jacques Hartmann, Site Manager of Wiederkehr Recycling Waltenschwil (on the right in the photo). The Wiederkehr Group Management Board congratulates Ernst Hürlimann on his 20 years at Wiederkehr Recycling, thanks him for his loyal service and looks forward to continuing our work together in the future.

Teaching young people about the handling and processing of recycled materials is an important task. The Wiederkehr Group is fully committed to educating people about recycling, as it is only by raising their awareness of the circular economy that they will understand the importance of the careful use of resources. It was with this in mind that a group of pupils from Wohlen and Villmergen came to visit our site in Waltenschwil on 30 September 2021. A tour and presentation, plus a small competition, gave them interesting and informative insights into the recycling business. They were able to learn about the different materials on their journey from delivery through to processing into recyclables – including the different job roles involved. These career information days are organised by Berufe Wohlen + with the aim of giving young people insights into the world of work. On this afternoon, it was a resounding success. The pupils went home with a Wiederkehr rucksack full of information and plenty of impressive memories.

Our new company brochure is hot off the press and offers an exciting insight into our company and the world of recycling. You can also browse through the online version: it’s available as an addition to our company profile here on the website (german).

Our latest-generation material handler is now operational! We are used to large and powerful machines, but this is a remarkable new acquisition for us and we are delighted that this powerhouse will be boosting our operational facilities with immediate effect. As the leading Swiss recycling company, having an efficient infrastructure is extremely important to us. The investment in this new material handler is an impressive example of this.

Wiederkehr Recycling, a proud Bossard Arena Zug board sponsor, congratulates the EVZ team on its impressive Swiss Ice Hockey Championship title. Thank you for all the thrilling, top-quality sporting moments during the playoffs. Long may the success continue!

The points were set for the last time for this rail wagon – and they took it right into the middle of our recycling plant in Waltenschwil. The dismantling of this powerful and bulky vehicle represents yet another impressive recycling project for Wiederkehr, especially considering the size of the object being worked on. Our aim is the same as with every job that we handle: to efficiently dismantle the vehicle that once rattled reliably along the tracks into small pieces ready for recycling. There is a wide variety of materials to be processed. Here is an overview of the recyclables:

Overview of material

Get all the latest news from the Wiederkehr Group on the popular social media platforms. We’ve successfully launched our attractive profiles and look forward to further followers.

We invite you to join our network on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn:

Just click on the appropriate icon and log in with your own profile.

We look forward to connecting with you online.

Since 1 January 2021, the Wiederkehr Group has sourced the electricity for its Waltenschwil and Schwarzenbach sites exclusively from hydropower. This was a logical decision, made for the benefit of the environment. The arguments for hydropower include not only its simple renewability, but also low emissions of greenhouse gases and highly efficient conversion into electrical energy with comparatively low use of resources. You can find further information on how we put sustainability into practice at the Wiederkehr Group here

You thought it was only aluminium cans, scrapped cars and dumped fridges that found their way to us? Far from it. We go a whole lot bigger than that. As part of a specialist disposal service, we dismantle transport giants like ships or even trains. We carry out extraordinary projects like these at our site in Waltenschwil. Our powerful infrastructure transforms immense objects into small recyclable parts. The huge range within recycling is what makes the Wiederkehr Group so unique and our work so fascinating and sustainable. Here is an overview of the raw materials we work with on a day-to-day basis:

Overview of material

In the Wiederkehr Group, a whole range of trades enjoy the freedom to learn and grow: from business management professionals and recycling operatives to traders in raw materials. Our employees appreciate our attractive conditions, cooperative working style and the accessibility of our sites. They take great pleasure in securing the recirculation of raw materials. In our Careers section you can browse our current vacancies and find out about making a speculative application. Would you like to get to know us better? We look forward to hearing from you. 

Allow us to present our completely new-look website. Here you can discover what drives us and the change we want to effect. Our number one priority: recirculating raw materials – recycling at the highest level. Delve into our world of pictures. These give you an authentic insight into our work as the core player in Switzerland’s recycling management. Whether you’re a customer, supplier or otherwise invested in our work, the intuitive navigation will quickly take you straight where you want to go. Be immersed in a world where usually only large excavators and metal shears go, and discover the amazing range and power of our work here at the Wiederkehr Group.