DONATE RECYCLING

Anyone walking onto the grounds of Schenk Recycling on Bolderweg in Almere-Buiten will see it immediately: people are working hard here. Trucks are coming and going, being weighed and unloading their loads - or picking up bales of pressed paper and plastic. The enormous pressing plant is running at full speed and in the shed behind it, the pressed bales reach the ceiling. Forklift trucks whiz between them to prepare them for transport. On the other side of the site, private individuals drive in and out with their scrap metal. It is especially busy at the end of the day. This is when installers, roofers and handymen come to deliver their scrap metal. Good for the environment, and also interesting for the wallet. The circular economy in action, just in Almere.

Circular and innovative

Inside, at the coffee table, we speak to Rogier Schenk, one of the three brothers who jointly run the family business. He explains more about how Schenk organises the handling of waste streams for their customers: "We help companies in and around Almere get rid of their waste. We focus mainly on paper and cardboard, plastics and metals, but we help our customers dispose of all waste streams, including, for example, wood, chemical waste and industrial waste. The collection process can be called innovative: Our compactors are equipped with sensors that signal when they are full. This allows us to collect them exactly on time, without unnecessary trips. This makes the whole process smarter, more efficient, more sustainable and cost-conscious. Pressing the waste into compact bales - is not technically groundbreaking work. It is fairly straightforward, but we do it in a way that is fast, clean and professional. In doing so, we contribute very concretely to a clean, circular city."

From rag-and-bone man to modern recycler

Schenk Recycling's roots are in Laren, where great-grandfather Jan Schenk was already collecting old material with a handcart. His son took over the work, and the next generation (the father of Joost, Rogier and Steven) also grew into it. The business continued to grow steadily until the municipality no longer allowed the storage of waste at the farm. In 1989, the company therefore moved to the De Vaart industrial estate in Almere. Initially, father Schenk did everything himself: collection, transport and processing. In the 1990s, he sold the company and took up permanent employment. But blood is thicker than water: within a year, he started all over again. And this time he took a different approach. He started to focus entirely on pressing and processing material and left the transport to external parties. A golden move. In the years that followed, Schenk Recycling experienced tremendous growth and Almere offered plenty of room for it. In 2015, the company moved to its current location on Bolderweg, in a striking building: the former film studio of the television series Flodder.

Fourth generation at the helm

Meanwhile, the three fourth-generation brothers make up the management together: eldest son Joost handles finance and general policy, Steven manages operations and Rogier is responsible for the commercial side. "All three of us are HBO educated, and both Joost and I have also worked elsewhere, but ultimately this feels like home. My brothers and I used to walk around the site with my father as children. During holidays and weekends, we helped where we could. Sweeping, hauling, cleaning up. We basically just rolled into it. And it goes well. We can separate work and private life just fine. And we have to, because you bump into each other all the time. My father is retired, he took a step back but still works hard. Instead of six days a week, he now works four. My mother still does the administration one day a week, and our children also come over here. My niece keeps track of our social media accounts. We are active on all major platforms and she also often makes TikTok videos for us. Super nice to see that she also enjoys it."

Doing business in Almere

With some 250 business customers and 15,000 individuals largely from Almere, Schenk Recycling is firmly rooted in the city. According to Rogier, Almere is a pleasant place to do business, with short lines of communication and a municipality that thinks along with us. "We have room to grow here and the municipality really does a lot for entrepreneurs. If something comes up, it is dealt with quickly. When our entrances and exits subsided, it was sorted out within two weeks. We have a permanent account manager who is easy to reach and the mayor also visited us recently. That says something about the commitment. Last year we were nominated for Enterprise of the Year and that was very well organised. It gave us great contacts and more brand awareness. We do a lot for Almere, and Almere does a lot for us."

A family business that grows with the city

Over the past decade, Schenk Recycling has grown considerably. "We grow with the city," says Rogier. "When we moved to Bolderweg in 2015, we had five to six permanent employees. Now we have a team of 20 and every year someone joins us. Most colleagues come from Almere. Because of the informal, friendly atmosphere, our employees really feel part of the family business. They are very committed and loyal. We have never seen anyone leave on a permanent contract."

Still, working at Schenk is not for everyone. "We are a small company, so you can't outrun each other here. You really have to do it together. That's why we find it important that it clicks in the team. We are looking for people who can take a beating and like clarity. At the same time, you must also be flexible and willing to work hard. Furthermore, we give everyone a fair chance. We found one of the guys here through ProAlmere and since a few months we also have a colleague from Ukraine. Both are great people. We are always looking for good people, but it has to be right."

Investing in Almere

"We are a real sports family" explains Rogier. "We don't live in Almere ourselves, but we do feel at home here. That's why we don't sponsor the clubs where our children play, but rather local clubs from the city: Almere City FC, football club Buitenboys, tennis club ATC Buiten and football club AS'80. We do this because we want to contribute to the place where we are located as a company."

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