Glossary and abbreviations

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Sales: The sum of sales made in a given period.
Screed: A large meshed screen used to sort and separate waste, such as, biodegradable waste from light packaging and plastic film.
Selective collection services: Collection aimed at collecting household waste pre-sorted by the producers or users (glass, paper, board, newspapers, magazines, plastic, compostable waste, etc.) for its recovery at specific treatment centers. Each collection round targets the collection of a specific type of waste.
Seveso: The so-called Seveso Directive was adopted in the wake of the emotional outcry following the accidental discharge of dioxin in 1976 in the municipality of Seveso, Italy. At the time, the European States adopted a common policy with regard to the prevention of major industrial risks. On June 24, 1982, the so-called Seveso Directive required that States and companies identify the risks associated with certain dangerous industrial activities and take the necessary measures to ensure protection. The Seveso Directive has been modified several times and its scope gradually extended, in particular following an accident in Basel, Switzerland, in 1986.
Sites where we control the investment: Indicators to track our quantified objectives concerning the reduction of dioxin emissions, the reduction of methane emissions and the treatment of leachate only apply to those sites where we control the investment. These are sites where we own or for which, as the operator, we have contractually agreed to make these investments.
Sludge: There are various types of sludge depending on its origin:
- Primary sludge comes, for example, from digester settling tanks at wastewater treatment plants. It is both rich in mineral matter (micro-sand, soil, etc.) and contains organic matter;
- Biological sludge is also referred to as secondary sludge, and comes from biological treatment processes;
- Physical-chemical sludge is a variant of the above types and results from the addition of reagents (iron or aluminum salts) to bind together the fine particles in wastewater.
Depending on its quality and composition, the sludge is disposed of in one of four ways: land application, landfilling, incineration or composting.
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI): Investing based on social, environmental and ethical criteria combined with financial performance.
Sorting waste: Waste not recovered after industrial sorting. Some reject material can undergo subsequent treatment.
Sorting: Operation designed to separate household waste into several categories (board, plastic, wooden pallets, etc.) to facilitate its treatment in processes that are specific to each category. Source separation involves sorting waste into its various component types at the site where it is produced.
Source separation: Operation involving sorting waste into its various component types at the site where it is produced.
Stabilization: In regulations, the word stabilization refers to all those techniques and operations that produce stabilized waste. From a technical point of view, stabilization involves improving the chemical retention of pollutants to limit their solubility and so their discharge into the environment (chemical immobilization of pollutants through the formation of less soluble compounds).
Stock: A title of ownership representing a portion of a company’s capital. Stocks or shares can pay a dividend and entitle the bearer or owner to vote. Securities may be listed on the stock exchange, but not necessarily. Veolia Environnement securities are listed on the Euronext Paris and New York stock exchanges.
Subcells: Pits into which waste is deposited at landfills.
Subsidized connection: The definition of this term varies from one country to another. Generally, it is a connection to low-income households, carried out at a reduced cost and offered at a reduced price and/or with payment facilities. In some countries, such as Gabon, this type of connection is offered to the inhabitants who then undertake to consume a volume of water and electricity below certain thresholds thereby also benefiting from preferential rates.
Sustainable development: Sustainable development is based on three criteria: environmental protection, social progress and economic development. Production and consumption methods must respect the human and natural environment to enable all the earth’s inhabitants to satisfy their basic needs (food, shelter, clothing, education, work, and live in a healthy environment). Education in sustainable development is fundamental: it is the necessary doorway that will lead to a change in mindset and behavior. A change in behavior by everyone (citizens, companies, local and regional authorities, governments and international institutions) to counter the threats looming over our planet (social inequality, industrial and health risks, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and so on).
SVDU: French association of municipal and assimilated waste treatment and recovery operators (Syndicat français du traitement et de la valorisation des déchets urbains et assimilés).
SYCTOM: Grouping of greater Paris municipalities for the treatment of household waste (Syndicat intercommunal de traitement des ordures ménagères de l’agglomération parisienne).