Page 32 from: Recycling International September/October 2025
32
NEW FAMILY MEMBER: TOBANELLI
Among the businesses recently acquired by RMB is aluminium recycler Tobanelli, also locat-
ed in the Lake Garda region, outside the small town of Bedizzole, not far from RMB. RMB
already had shares in the company and since 2024 has owned 100%.
Simone Guidetti is responsible for Tobanelli’s commercial department. ‘In an average month
we handle 8 000 tonnes of aluminium scrap in 20 different alloys,’ says Guidetti. ‘Some 60%
is sourced in Italy, 40% comes from other EU countries.’
Materials are sorted and cleaned at Tobanelli and then sold to smelters, mostly in Italy.
Guidetti: ‘Although we’ve got five smelters within 20 km of our facility, we still ship stuff to
faraway places. Roughly 70% stays nearby while some 30% crosses the border.’
Being part of the greater RMB family is a huge win, according to Tobanelli’s operational
manager Luca Bettinzoli. ‘We’re experiencing a lot of support from the mother company.
They’re bigger and have more know-how. Another thing is logistics. RMB has 100 or so
trucks on the road all the time and these can now also carry incoming and outgoing loads
for us. So – no more empty trucks on the road.’
systems ensure the highest recovery
rates even from the finest fractions.
With a global presence, RMB imports
RMB’s management team at the company’s headquarters in Polpenazze.
One of the company’s three mega shredders.
Inside RMB’s main facility.
Tobanelli’s Luca Bettinzoli (right) and Simone Guidetti.
and exports across Europe, Asia and
North America. Its supply chain
extends to Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Spain, Poland, Greece,
Croatia, Belgium, France, the Czech
Republic, the UK and the USA, while
its export markets are worldwide. ‘This
global reach is supported by a dynam-
ic commercial team,’ says commercial
manager Lorenzo Soncina. ‘They’re all
trained to adapt to shifting markets
and customer needs while maintaining
strong technical knowledge of materi-
als and processes.’
DOUBLE CHECK
A cornerstone of RMB’s operations is
its laboratory, designed for carrying
out chemical, physical and biological
tests on incoming and outgoing mate-
rials. Equipment such as plasma spec-
trophotometers, chromatographs and
X-ray fluorescence spectrometers help
the company to be compliant with
strict regulations.
RMB’s main facility in Polpenazze is
home to a workforce of around 400
people, while the group, including
subsidiary companies, employs nearly
800.
Among RMB’s contributions to Italy’s
circular economy is its leading role in
bottom ash recycling. ‘Today, we are
responsible for processing some 50%
of Italy’s bottom ash,’ says Goffi.
Its facilities are strategically located in
the north of the country, where much
of the nation’s industrial infrastructure
is concentrated. Looking ahead, RMB
has set its sights on expansion to cen-
tral Italy or further south. According to
Goffi, RMB is going to set up a new
bottom ash plant ‘from scratch’ in the
Rome area within the next two years.
SHREDDING FORCE
RMB has six shredders of which three
are large, each positioned in a key
industrial hub in north Italy. One is
near Verona, another at Bollate near
Milan, and a third at Gavardo, close to
Polpenazze and RMB’s main site.
Together, these plants handle con-
struction and industrial scrap as well as
end-of-life vehicles, sourced from
across Italy.
LABOUR ISSUES
Looking to the future, Goffi says the
structural shortage of skilled people
increasingly challenges RMB and the
recycling industry as a whole. ‘We
need to invest in the right people to
WINEMAKER AND CATERER, TOO
RMB’s expertise goes beyond recycling. Far beyond. The Goffi family also owns a winery
with a modern visitor centre under the brand name Bottenago. The winery, offering aston-
ishing views of Lake Garda, is in the hills not far from RMB’s recycling operations.
Next to the winery is a restaurant and catering service, preparing 1 000 or so meals for RMB
staff and other companies every day.
30-31-32-33_rmbspa.indd 32 10-09-2025 13:50
