Our Tradition

From a small countryside farm to a modern waste disposal group of companies

From a small countryside farm via a transportation business with horse and cart as „Bahnamtliche Spedition“ to one of the most modern and efficient waste disposal companies. The development of Tönsmeier reflects determination. And it illustrates the degree of commitment with which we work, in order to develop the waste disposal industry both intelligently and consistently.

Across all of these activities we always have our eyes on the future, in order to be able to innovatively react to trends and opportunities in our business. It is, after all, our objective to continue making a substantial contribution to the development of the waste disposal industry - by using new ideas and new concepts.

The historical development since the foundation of the company:

1927

Karl Tönsmeier founds an „official railway shipping business “.

1958

Beginning of the transfer of the transportation company to a saste management company: Tönsmeier starts with local community waste disposal via „dust-free garbage collection“.

1971

Start of waste disposal for industrial and retail customers.

1973

Start of collection and processing of glass and paper.

1984

First collection of hazardous waste.

1986

Pilot project „Recycling Containers“ in three areas of Ostwestfalen-Lippe.

1989

Scrap iron and scrap metal disposal begins.

1990

Commissioning of the first composting plant. Subsequent foundation of new locations in the "new Federal States" former East Germany.

1991

Role as pioneer in the introduction of the "Dual System"

1994

Foundation of a company for the international trading in waste paper.

1995

Expansion of company activities into Eastern Europe. Foundation of a national waste disposal network.

1996

First location in Poland and restructuring the Tönsmeier Group until 1998.

1998

Start of plastics and wood recycling at the company's own facilities.

2000

Expansion in recycling of PVC (dekura).
Public private partnership in Minden-Lübbecke (Germany).

2001

Acquisition of Höku profile extrusion (Höxter, Germany) and PVC recycling in Austria.

2003

Cooperation with Romonta Thermische Reststoffverwertungs GmbH.

2004

Public private partnership in Lippe (Germany) with the Gesellschaft für Abfallentsorgung Lippe mbH.

2005

Acquisition of Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft Köthen (Saxony-Anhalt/Germany) and takeover of a glass recycling company in Neuburg a.d. Donau (Bavaria/Germany).
Start of residual waste recycling in Hille (North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany), Paderborn (North Rhine-Westphalia/Germany) and in Oppin (Saxony-Anhalt/Germany).

2006

Takeover of the Pape Entsorgung with locations in Hannover (Lower Saxony/Germany), Osnabrück (Lower Saxony/Germany) and Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt/Germany).
Foundation of the first WPT UK location in London (England).