Urban Waste - AEB Plant, Amsterdam Flashcards
Why did the Dutch government take measures to reduce their reliance on landfill?
The Netherlands is a densely populated low-lying country which has a growing population and a diminishing amount of spare land. ln the late twentieth century, rising prosperity in the country had led to the greater production and consumption of goods and a consequent increase in waste generation. Lack of space and growing environmental awareness forced the Dutch government to take measures to reduce their reliance on landfill.
What is the population of The Netherlands?
17.2 million
What is the Dutch approach to waste management?
Lansink’s Ladder
What is Lansink’s Ladder?
Lansink’s ladder is said to have formed the basis of the waste hierarchy or waste management hierarchy. Conceived as a ladder of decision steps it distinguishes six forms of waste management:
1) Reduce
2) Re-use
3) Recycle
4) Energy
5) Incineration
6) Landfill
Why did the Dutch government take early measures on reducing landfilling of waste?
The increasing level of material consumption and the significant lack of physical space, together with environmental deterioration of the land, forced the Dutch government to take measures early on to reduce the landfilling of waste.
When was the landfill tax introduced?
1995
Why was a landfill tax introduced?
The government introduced a landfill tax on every tonne of material landfilled. This gave waste processing companies the financial incentive to look for other methods such as recycling and incineration. Landfill tax was increased year on year until 2012 when it was repealed because the low level of landfilling had rendered the tax unnecessary.
Was the landfill tax effective?
The amount of waste sent to landfill decreased significantly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. by 2006, the country had already reached the targets of the Landfill Directive set for 2016.
What is the environmental comparison of landfill and incineration?
If the equivalent amount of waste was put into landfill the CO2 emissions per year would be 1036 kilotons. This would mainly be because of methane gases developing at the landfill. If these gases were either captured or burned off, it would reduce the total emissions to 404 kilotons, still higher than the 438 kilotons of CO2 ‘saved’ by the AEB incineration plant.
How much energy does the Afval Energie Bedrijf (AEB) incineration plant produce annually?
1 million MWh, enough to service 320,000 households
How much waste is brought to the plant?
1.4 million tonnes of waste annually (600 trucks and 1 refuse train per day)
How much of the waste at the plant is recycled?
64%
What is next door to the AEB plant?
Next door to the W2E plant is the Waternet water treatment plant. The two plants work together: the incineration plant supplies energy and heat for water treatment processes; the water treatment plant injects its sludge and biogas into the incineration plant as an additional fuel source.
How much CO2 per year does the AEB Plant avoid?
438 kilotonnes.
