Inauguration of VALCOPIA in Toulouse: the largest selective collection sorting center in France

A facility designed to meet the needs of the territory

The VALCOPIA sorting center is intended to replace two existing facilities located in the north of Haute-Garonne. It now processes waste from selective collection for a population basin of more than 1.1 million inhabitants.

Designed to comply with the new CITEO sorting guidelines, the facility is capable of processing up to 21.5 tonnes per hour. Its architecture is based on two parallel line inlets, ensuring flexibility and continuity of operations, even during significant fluctuations in waste flows.

A large-scale industrial process

The sorting process designed by Aktid for VALCOPIA stands out for its scale and high level of performance. The facility notably incorporates:

• 60 machines, including 21 optical sorters
• 5 ballistic screens designed by Aktid
• 15 storage silos
• more than 2.3 kilometers of conveyors

At Decoset’s request, a specific color code was integrated into the process to make the flows easier to read (sea green for non-fiber materials, blue for fiber materials, pink for rejects, lilac for baling/conditioning, and yellow for line infeed). This organization contributes to clearer and more efficient operation of the facility.

Combining robustness, modularity, and ease of maintenance, the center achieves an availability rate of over 92%, a particularly high level for a facility of this scale.

An industrial construction project delivered under tight deadlines

The VALCOPIA construction project, launched in July 2024, was completed in just eight months—a particularly short timeframe given the complexity of the works and the volume of equipment to be installed. This achievement required rigorous organization, with strong involvement from engineering and on-site teams, as well as specific logistical resources for transporting the largest pieces of equipment.

As early as spring 2025, the first waste streams were running through the line. Aktid’s teams provided progressive training for operations and maintenance staff, enabling a rapid and well-controlled ramp-up of the facility.

An inauguration marking the culmination of a collective project

The inauguration of VALCOPIA, held in July 2025, brought together elected officials, institutional partners, and industrial stakeholders. It highlighted the collective effort carried out throughout the project and the ability to deliver—within controlled timelines—an industrial facility that meets the current and future challenges of selective collection.