Ruud - Mechanical Engineer at Renewi

From internship to permanent engineer role

After a six-month internship at Renewi, Ruud van der Vrande got the chance to work as a Continuous Improvement Specialist, and later as a Mechanical Engineer. He seized that opportunity with both hands. 

"It is nice to see that my final year project was really appreciated. At many companies, such a project ends up in a drawer, but at Renewi it was further developed into a concrete project that I am still involved in to this day." 

Ruud is 26 and lives in Zeilberg, where he is a keen footballer at the local club. During the week, he works enthusiastically at Renewi. "Renewi is a dynamic company, it's nice to grow within it yourself." 

Working on sustainable technology within the engineering team

Ruud is part of an expert engineering team. "I support my manager Olaf for the technical part of a large hard plastics sorting line in Acht. It was a great start to my career, with plenty of opportunities to develop." 

 Ruud's graduation research was the starting point for recycling used hard plastics. He studied how two types of plastics (polyethylene and polypropylene) can be better separated during the recycling process. "I looked at what steps we could adjust or add to improve the quality of the final product, ground material. A valuable raw material that can be reused in new applications." 

The first work at the Acht site began in July 2022. Meanwhile, the new hall and hard plastics plant have been completed. "The contracts with suppliers were finalised early on, after which we continued with detailed engineering and design. It now has a hall fully equipped to recycle hard plastics. The equipment is in place and operational, enabling plastic waste to be made suitable for high-value applications." 

Creative solutions to technical challenges

As a Continuous Improvement Specialist and later a Mechanical Engineer, Ruud learned the importance of creativity and collaboration. "A design on paper is no guarantee that it will work in practice. There you run into challenges for which you have to come up with technical and creative solutions." 

 He worked intensively with various departments and divisions during his first years at Renewi. "Communication and pooling knowledge are essential. It is precisely because we respect each other's expertise that we come up with smart solutions together." 

Future vision: more efficient and sustainable recycling

Meanwhile, the first successes have been achieved, but ambitions extend further. Renewi is working on several large and smaller recycling projects. "We continue to monitor market developments and adapt our facilities accordingly. In the coming years, we will replace existing facilities and build new ones to make our recycling process even more efficient and sustainable."