CUE - Urban Waste and its Disposal: Amsterdam

Question 1

why is waste management an issue in Amsterdam?

Answer 1

Amsterdam is the cultural capital of the Netherlands, a densely populated low-lying country with a growing population and diminishing amount of spare land. in the late 20th century, rising prosperity led to a greater production and consumption of goods and a consequent increase in waste generation

Question 2

what is lansink’s ladder?

Answer 2

the Dutch approach to waste management, incorporated into Dutch legislation in 1994

Question 3

what does lansink’s ladder involve?

Answer 3

avoiding creating waste in the first place and recovering valuable raw materials from it. energy is generated by incinerating residual waste and only dumping what’s left in an environmentally acceptable way

Question 4

what did the Dutch government do to reduce landfill?

Answer 4

in 1995 a landfill tax was introduced on every tonne of material landfill. this gave waste processing companies the financial incentive to look for other methods like recycling and incineration. the tax was increased every year until 2012 when it was abolished due to the low level of landfill. a landfill ban covering 35 waste categories was also introduce in 1995.

Question 5

evidence of success in Amsterdam

Answer 5

the amount of waste sent to landfill decreased significantly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. by 2006, the country had reached the targets of the landfill directive set for 2016

Question 6

how much electricity does the AEB incineration plant produce annually?

Answer 6

1 million MWh

Question 7

how much heat does the AEB incineration plant produce annually?

Answer 7

300,000 gigajoules

Question 8

how much waste is taken to the AEB incineration plant every year?

Answer 8

1.4 million tonnes

Question 9

how does the AEB plant reduce environmental impacts?

Answer 9

the plant installed a complex process of scrubbing the flue gases. attempts are being made to close the loop for other by-products so that the material can be used in other industrial processes

Question 10

how does the AEB incineration plant work with the waternet water treatment plant?

Answer 10

the AEB supplies energy and heat for water treatment processes. the water treatment plants injects its sludge and biogas into the incineration plant as an additional fuel source.

Question 11

what functions does the AEB incineration plant perform?

Answer 11

elimination of waste, generation of electricity and heat.