Syctom entrusts SUEZ and Chantiers Modernes Construction with the transformation of the Romainville-Bobigny waste treatment center

A redesigned center to meet the area’s new needs

Located at the junction of the municipalities of Romainville and Bobigny, this center is one of Syctom’s main waste treatment sites. The site currently receives 370,000 tonnes of residual household waste and 57,000 tonnes of packaging. The modernization of the facility aims to adapt the site to changing waste streams and to the use of modes of transport other than road transport. By 2029, the center will process up to 450,000 tonnes of waste per year, divided into 350,000 tonnes of residual household waste, 40,000 tonnes of biowaste, and 60,000 tonnes of packaging. It will make it possible to transfer up to 183,000 tonnes of waste by waterway, including a large portion of the recovered materials from packaging sorting.

The single-operation semi-public company including the works phase, a shared governance

The project will be carried by a single-operation semi-public company, owned 60% jointly by SUEZ (57%) and Chantiers Modernes Construction (3%), and 40% by Syctom. The site will remain in operation throughout the construction period to ensure continuity of the public waste management service.

This innovative arrangement, the result of six months of technical and legal fine-tuning between the award of the contract in June 2025 and its signing in December, offers a replicable model for other public infrastructure projects.

A complete reconstruction, integrated into a redesigned site

The project provides for the complete reconstruction of the existing facility, while preserving Romainville’s iconic sorting hall, recognizable by its cable-stayed roof. This architectural feature will be integrated into a modernized complex, designed to meet the area’s growing needs and adaptable to future regulatory requirements.

The future center will be structured around four complementary hubs and five facilities:

• A new area for receiving and transferring household waste to Syctom’s energy recovery units,
• The conversion of the current household waste transfer facilities into a biowaste transfer center,
• Maintaining the area dedicated to the sorting of separately collected household packaging,
• The creation of a port platform connected to the Ourcq Canal, which will enable between 165,000 and 183,000 tonnes of waste to be transferred by barge each year. Two to three barges per day (24 containers of 12 tonnes each) will replace dozens of trucks, thereby reducing road traffic and associated nuisances,
• A Center of Excellence for Circular and Solidarity Economy, separate from the industrial facilities, including a household waste drop-off center, a reuse center, and community spaces, which will be operated by the Est-Ensemble Territorial Public Establishment (EPT).

A modernization with rigorous environmental and urban standards

Designed to integrate sustainably into its surroundings, the project incorporates stringent environmental measures from the construction phase onward: reducing noise and dust, remediating soils, and preserving biodiversity. The works, scheduled to last 39 months, will begin in March 2026.

Moreover, this modernization is also part of a broader urban development dynamic, notably the transformation of the Horloge (Romainville) and Écocité Canal de l'Ourcq (Bobigny) concerted development zones, thereby contributing to better integration of the site within its environment. The center’s more contemporary architecture, with extensive reuse of materials, will help enhance the image of waste treatment professions, and the complete enclosure of the facilities, with an advanced air treatment system, will ensure full control of odors. Lastly, the center will feature educational spaces open to the public, including a room dedicated to waste reduction and management awareness, alongside designed viewpoints overlooking the facilities.

A project committed to local employment and social inclusion

The single-operation semi-public company responsible for operating the site will rely on a workforce of 138 employees on permanent contracts, with 100% of existing staff retained. In addition, further recruitment will be carried out in conjunction with local job centers to strengthen access to local employment.

The project also includes a strong social dimension, with SUEZ, through its subsidiary Rebond, deploying an inclusion program representing 320,000 hours, engaging sorting operatives on integration pathways who will receive enhanced professional support and tailored supervision.

Corentin Duprey, President of Syctom: “ValoEst is much more than a technical modernization project. It is an integrated and solidarity-based vision of the circular economy coming to fruition. By using a SemOp for works for the first time, we are innovating in public–private governance. By building two PEECS centers at the heart of the facilities, we affirm that waste management is a lever for territorial development and social inclusion. By prioritizing river transport, we are reducing our carbon footprint. This project embodies our environmental and social responsibility to the territories we serve.”