Waste management in companies is no longer limited to simply collecting trash bins. Since January 1, 2025, source sorting has been extended to textiles, mineral fractions, and plaster, which are added to the five historical streams (paper, metal, plastic, glass, wood). This regulatory extension changes the game for organizations that have not yet adapted their collection and sorting processes.
Expanded sorting obligation: what the regulations require since 2025
The French regulatory framework has progressed in stages. The obligation to sort bio-waste, applicable to all producers since December 31, 2023, had already forced many companies to rethink their internal organization.
The addition of textiles, plaster, and mineral fractions to the scope of source sorting since January 2025 creates an additional constraint, particularly for the construction and renovation sectors. Each stream must be separated right at the production site, which requires dedicated containers and appropriate signage.
Companies that were already handling the five historical streams have an advantage: their sorting infrastructure can often accommodate the new streams with some logistical adjustments. Those starting from scratch face a heavier investment in equipment and staff training. Players like Risi support this transition by offering solutions tailored to the operational constraints of each site.
Reuse of professional packaging: an underutilized lever
Recycling focuses the majority of efforts, but reuse remains the neglected aspect of waste management in companies. In 2023, the reuse rate of professional packaging reached 3.46%, while the target set for 2027 is 10%.
This gap reveals a blind spot. Optimizing waste does not only mean better recycling, but also designing reuse circuits. A reused package prevents the production of waste and the cost of its treatment.
Concretely, this involves design choices upstream:
- Favor standardized containers that are durable for multiple cycles of use, rather than single-use packaging optimized for unit cost
- Establish return loops with suppliers or customers, integrating reverse logistics into contracts
- Identify high-rotation packaging that justifies investment in durable formats
Moving from 3.46% to 10% in a few years requires a shift in logic: moving from end-of-life management to life-cycle management. For industrial companies, this approach also reduces dependence on fluctuations in the recycled materials market.
Densifying collection points: a concrete operational lever
Raising staff awareness about sorting is necessary, but it is not enough if the sorting action remains complicated. Field feedback confirms this: increasing the number of collection points accelerates the valorization of bio-waste much more than communication campaigns alone.
The experience of the Paris Ouest La Défense area, documented in the assessment of its local waste prevention program, shows that the accessibility of the system plays a decisive role. When the sorting bin is located just a few meters from the workstation, the participation rate increases significantly.
For a company, this means mapping internal flows before investing in equipment. Placing a bio-waste container in a communal kitchen but not in meeting rooms, for example, creates a break in the sorting chain. The proximity of the collection point determines the actual sorting rate, not the goodwill of the teams.
Territorial innovation programs: how companies can benefit
Modernizing sorting does not rely on a miracle technology. Current systems are based on territorial programs that combine several levers: reuse, off-site collection, modernization of sorting centers, and technological innovation.
Citeo supported 210 winners in 2025 in projects of this type. These programs cover varied needs:
- Partial funding for advanced sorting equipment (optical sensors, separation technologies)
- Support for establishing local valorization channels for specific streams
- Experimentation with voluntary collection in economic activity zones
For companies, participating in these territorial initiatives allows for cost-sharing of infrastructure with other actors in the same area. Reducing management costs often comes from mutualization rather than isolated optimization of each site.
The data collected as part of these programs also provides an indirect advantage: they feed into the environmental performance reports that SMEs and large companies must now produce as part of their regulatory obligations.
Data integration and real-time monitoring of waste flows
Data-driven waste management transforms an administrative burden into a decision-making tool. Tracking technologies allow for measuring actual volumes by stream, optimizing collection routes, and identifying production peaks.
Real-time monitoring of containers (fill rates, rotation frequency) avoids two costly pitfalls: collecting bins that are half empty and overflow that contaminates sorted streams. The effectiveness of sorting depends as much on logistics as on the operator’s action.
This data also serves to negotiate collection contracts. A company that can prove the quality and regularity of its sorted streams obtains better conditions from recycling service providers, even generating revenue from certain recyclable materials.
The regulatory expansion of 2025 makes this data-driven approach even more relevant: with eight categories of streams to manage instead of five, visual management is no longer feasible. Companies that structure their collection around measurement and monitoring reduce their treatment costs while securing their compliance.
