Veolia and Milwaukee recognize water reclamation infrastructure as an ‘Ecofactory’

Veolia North America, a provider of environmental solutions in the U.S. and Canada, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson celebrated Earth Day by recognizing Milwaukee’s wastewater treatment infrastructure as an “Ecofactory,” marking its transformation from a waste disposal process into a stream of green energy, resource recovery and environmental stewardship.

The Ecofactory concept brings significant environmental benefits to the region such as producing Milorganite fertilizer, turning gas byproducts into power sources and digesting waste to create energy while reducing landfill use. As the MMSD’s long-standing operating partner, Veolia is designating Milwaukee as its first Ecofactory in the U.S.

“Veolia is thrilled to partner with MMSD to launch the Ecofactory initiative in Milwaukee, a city that has long exemplified how to treat the environment responsibly and find creative ways to turn waste into resources. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our shared commitment to sustainability and community engagement,” says Karine Rougé, CEO of Veolia North America’s Municipal Water division. “By combining our expertise and resources, we can continue to create a more resilient and resourceful water infrastructure for Milwaukee and its residents, helping them cut carbon emissions, find value in wastewater and build stronger communities.”

Designating Milwaukee’s wastewater treatment system as an Ecofactory marks a significant achievement for the MMSD and a new approach in America for Veolia, which is working nationwide to reimagine how wastewater treatment can benefit communities.

An Ecofactory maximizes the value of the materials produced at a wastewater treatment system, such as reclaimed water used for agriculture or irrigation; waste heat or biogas used for energy; biosolids used for fertilizer; and even energy produced from on-site solar panels, Veolia says. An Ecofactory also optimizes those processes to operate as efficiently as possible, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and waste.

Veolia has pioneered the Ecofactory approach in other operating markets, working with existing systems to boost their benefits and transform their roles within communities. In Santiago, Chile, Veolia’s Ecofactory recovers 310 gigawatt-hours of energy from wastewater to eliminate waste, fossil energy and pollution from its treatment process. In Granada, Spain, all 4.8 billion gallons of wastewater treated at Veolia’s Ecofactory are reused for irrigation.

The MMSD has taken an innovative approach to wastewater treatment for nearly a century, adopting a then-novel European treatment process in 1925 that used microorganisms to feed on organic materials in wastewater and transformed them into Milorganite fertilizer. Building on this track record, Veolia and MMSD are exploring new opportunities to enhance Milwaukee's water infrastructure through the Ecofactory approach.

Focusing on technical initiatives such as increased beneficial reuse, solar energy production and biogas generation, the Ecofactory partnership aims to maximize wastewater treatment's regenerative and decarbonizing potential, such as expanding solar resources to help operate with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035.