The Circular Economy (3/3) Reduce and Revalue Your Waste – “6 Min. to Understand” with Pierre Léonard. Midoricast: Podcast #229

Understanding how to turn your waste into resources and strengthen your company’s resilience

Reduce and Revalue Your Waste. In this third and final episode of the triptych dedicated to the drivers of the circular economy, Pierre Léonard invites us to explore a dimension that is often underestimated: reducing and revaluing waste.

After learning how to save resources and optimize assets, it’s time to rethink what we consider “waste.” Through a clear and structured approach, Pierre explains Lansink’s ladder — the hierarchy of waste management, from the most virtuous (prevention) to the last resort, landfill disposal. 

Pierre illustrates how this method can apply both to industry and to services: repurposing, reuse, composting, local partnerships… so many levers for turning costs into opportunities.

The episode also covers economic aspects: reducing treatment costs, creating revenue from by-products, regulatory compliance, and brand value enhancement. With real-world examples from Belgian companies, Pierre demonstrates that reducing waste also means gaining competitiveness and resilience.

A pragmatic approach, accessible to all organizations, proving that ecology and economics can move forward hand in hand.

This episode is part of the “Circular Economy” triptych:

• Saving resources 
• Optimizing assets 
• Reducing waste

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In addition to voicemail, each episode is segmented and includes a full transcript, giving access to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. And with the Google Translate plugin on Chrome, each episode becomes available in every language! We also offer a video format and subtitle transcriptions.

Why this section?

We support companies that apply authentic, measurable ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives. Pierre, for his part, trains and guides them through this transition. Our approaches differ but complement each other: we encourage, he supports.

This choice also raises an important challenge: where to draw the line? 

Some companies mentioned in this section are not yet aligned with our current criteria, and we would refuse any collaboration with them until they start a concrete transition. But that’s exactly where Pierre comes in — his role is to spark that change.

This podcast aims not to judge but to inspire. Its purpose? To encourage rather than discourage, to accompany rather than exclude.

Let’s commit together to a circular, sustainable, and inclusive economy. Listen, reflect, take action… in 6 minutes.

Listen to this podcast “The Circular Economy (3/3) Reduce and Revalue Your Waste” on our YouTube channel (subscribe — thank you!):

French: The full transcript of this podcast is available as video subtitles in five languages: French, Dutch, German, English, and Spanish.
Dutch: De volledige transcriptie van deze podcast is beschikbaar als ondertiteling van de video in vijf talen: Frans, Nederlands, Duits, Engels en Spaans.
German: Die vollständige Transkription dieses Podcasts ist als Untertitel des Videos in fünf Sprachen verfügbar: Französisch, Niederländisch, Deutsch, Englisch und Spanisch.
English: The full transcript of this podcast is available as video subtitles in five languages: French, Dutch, German, English, and Spanish.
Spanish: La transcripción completa de este pódcast está disponible como subtítulos del vídeo en cinco idiomas: francés, neerlandés, alemán, inglés y español.

Podcast Sequencing “Reduce and Revalue Your Waste” :

• [00:00:02] Reduce and Revalue Your Waste – Podcast Introduction
• [00:00:12] Third phase of the drivers of the circular economy
• [00:00:40] Reduce and Revalue Your Waste: what are we talking about?
• [00:01:15] Prevention is better than cure
• [00:02:02] A whole range of solutions exists
• [00:02:20] Key figures
• [00:02:38] Economic resilience
• [00:02:58] Clear and measurable benefits
• [00:03:19] Example of an IT services company
• [00:03:57] Opportunities not to be missed
• [00:04:14] Costs and return on investment (ROI)
• [00:04:59] How to put into practice?
• [00:05:58] Documenting progress
• [00:06:13] Conclusion and announcement of the next topic
• [00:06:45] Episode closing

Podcast transcription “Reduce and Revalue Your Waste”:

Jingle Intro: [00:00:00] Your listening to the Podcast Factory Org.

Michel: [00:00:02] Welcome to another episode of “Midoricast”, your podcast on positive environmental initiatives, in the “6 Minutes to Understand” section, ladies and gentlemen. And I’m delighted to see Pierre Léonard again.

Pierre Léonard: [00:00:12] Hello Michel, hello everyone! Today, we’re going to tackle the third episode of this mini-series devoted to the major levers of the circular economy, and this time we’re going to talk about the third phase. Since we’ve seen how to save resources, and that’s before using things. We’ve seen how to optimize our assets during use. Well, today we’re going to see how we can recycle our waste and reduce it phase by phase after use.

Pierre Léonard: [00:00:40] What are we talking about? In reality, when we talk about reducing and recycling waste, we’re talking about transforming what was destined for the garbage can into a new resource. But be careful, it’s not just about recycling, it’s much richer than that. We’re talking here about a hierarchical approach that follows what’s known as the Lansink scale. This tool was conceptualized in 1993 by a Dutch MP by the name of AD Lansink. And this scale gives us an order of priority in the recovery of our waste.

Pierre Léonard: [00:01:15] First, we’ll try to prevent their production. The best waste is always the waste that doesn’t exist. Then we’ll see how we can reuse them, either as they are, or with some minor modifications, known as reconditioning. And only then will we think about recycling. Then comes energy recovery, or incineration. And only as a last resort, disposal, i.e. landfill. It’s like a waterfall, with each step recovering the value that the previous one was unable to capture. The aim, of course, is to capture as many of them as possible at the most interesting stages, i.e. those that require the least energy or material input, and therefore represent the shortest cycle and maximum gains.

Pierre Léonard: [00:02:02] So we have a whole range of solutions, from reconditioning your IT equipment to composting the organic waste from your canteens, and transforming your production offcuts into raw materials for other industries. And even service companies can play this game.

Pierre Léonard: [00:02:20] The figures speak for themselves: in Europe we produce over 2.5 billion tonnes of waste a year, 60% of which comes from our economic activities. And guess what? Much of this waste still contains exploitable value.

Pierre Léonard: [00:02:38] But beyond volumes, it’s a question of economic resilience, once again. With the increasing volatility of raw material prices and the tightening of regulations on waste, companies that master this recovery loop have a decisive competitive advantage. It’s a bit like having a savings account hidden in your garbage.

Pierre Léonard: [00:02:58] The benefits for a company are obvious, and once again, they can be measured. Firstly, you reduce your waste management and treatment costs, and believe me, for some companies this is something that can quickly add up. For example, for printing plants, this is an extremely heavy budget item. Then you create new revenue streams by selling your valorized by-products.

Pierre Léonard: [00:03:19] Take the example of an IT services company in Walloon Brabant, Belgium, which specializes in reconditioning and reselling depreciated equipment, including its own. Not only has it reduced its disposal costs by 80%, but it also generates €5,000 0 in additional sales per year. Even in offices, waste paper, ink cartridges or bio-waste from the cafeteria can become sources of value.

Michel: [00:03:41] The roll-ups for my festival come from them.

Pierre Léonard: [00:03:43] So roll-ups, we could talk about them, I could devote just one episode to telling you all you can do with them!

Michel: [00:03:48] I don’t know what they did, but they reworked it, and in fact I’ve got the same roll-up as before, but the decor has changed.

Pierre Léonard: [00:03:57] And there are lots of ways to recycle them. On the other hand, of course, failure to act will increase your processing costs, you may risk fines for regulatory non-compliance, and above all you’ll miss out on opportunities to differentiate yourself from customers who may be more fussy about these issues.

Pierre Léonard: [00:04:14] But you’re going to tell me, it must be very expensive. Well, think again. Contrary to popular belief, reducing and recycling waste often generates a rapid return on investment. For an SME, starting up a value-adding program generally costs between €5 and €25,000, calculating all costs according to complexity, but the returns come quickly, provided you properly calibrate your investments according to your real needs. Even for services, the gains are measurable: optimized collection contracts, reduced volumes, new partnerships – and they can go beyond simple financial gains. For example, if, like a major insurance broker in Brussels, you decide to donate your obsolete PCs to an association fighting the digital divide.

Pierre Léonard: [00:04:59] So how do you put this approach into practice? As usual, start by analyzing your waste flows and you’ll probably be surprised at what you discover. Weigh, categorize and analyze the composition of this waste for a few weeks. Next, apply the Lansink scale and ask yourself three questions. One: what can I avoid producing as waste? Two: what can I reuse internally? Three: which local partners could add value to my by-products? By-product being here a synonym for waste

Pierre Léonard: [00:05:32] There’s a tip I love to give: organize a waste workshop with your teams. Literally put everything on the table, and ask them “How can we give a second life to this, this, this?” You’ll be amazed at their creativity. Even a headache – I was talking about printing plants earlier – even a headache like aluminum foil separated by a layer of polyurethane, can find a use even though it’s virtually impossible to recycle.

Pierre Léonard: [00:05:58] And don’t forget to document your progress. This data will be invaluable for your own CSR reports, as well as for convincing other departments, and possibly even fellow companies, of the relevance of your approach and motivating them to join you.

Pierre Léonard: [00:06:13] Waste recovery is the perfect example of how economy and ecology can go hand in hand. By transforming your waste into resources, you reduce costs, create new revenues and strengthen your brand image – all in all, a win-win situation. The question is, are you ready to change the way you look at your rubbish? Thank you for listening to this episode of “6 Minutes to Understand”, and next time we’ll take a look at a particularly exciting concept in the circular economy, called the economy of functionality.

Michel: [00:06:45] J’adore!

Pierre Léonard: [00:06:45] See you soon.

Michel: [00:06:46] J’adore! Thank you, Pierre. So, I remind you listeners, there’s a link in the podcast text and you can leave Pierre a voice message with a suggestion, a gratitude, a remark, and why not a question. We’ll be in touch soon.

Michel: [00:06:57] This podcast project is an initiative created and proposed by the ASBL “The Podcast Factory Org”, with the sponsorship of “transforma bxl – Innovation Playground”, a coworking space in Evere. Since January 2025, and for five years, we have also been sponsored by “Plugin Company”, our preferred charging station and card operator. The Podcast Factory Org” is proud to be a member of “KAYA – Coalition des Écopreneurs” and “Écopreneures”, and to collaborate with the “Love Health Center”. You can find all the episodes of all our podcasts on the “What’s Your Story point be” website. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel @thepodcastfactoryorg, where we offer the podcast in video format, with the transcript, with subtitles, in several languages.

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