Amsterdam - Landfill vs Incineration

• Why did Amsterdam need to reduce landfill?

  • Densely populated low-lying country which has a growing population and a diminishing amount of spare land.

  -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 in to reduce the landfilling of waste

  -There were increasing numbers of objections to waste disposal sites from the public due to smell, soil, pollution and groundwater contamination.
• What has the Dutch government done to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill?

  • In 1995, the government introduced a landfill tax on energy tonnes 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 Landfill tax was increased year on year until 2012 when it was repealed because the low level of landfilling had rendered the tax unnecessary. 
  • A landfill ban coving 35 waste categories was introduced in 1995
• Was the Dutch government's landfill tax successful?

  • The amount of waste sent to landfill decreased significantly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the country has already reached the targets of the Landfill Directive set for 2016. 
• Waste to Incineration in Amsterdam

  Amsterdam's Afval Energie Bedrijf (AEB) incineration plant generates 1 million MWh of electricity and 300,000 gigajoules of heat annually from 1.4 million tonnes of waste. 64% of the waste is recycled, and the plant repurposes by-products like fly ash. It works with the nearby Waternet water treatment plant, exchanging biogas and sludge for energy. This integrated system reduces CO2 emissions by 438 kilotons per year.
• Social Impacts of using incineration in Amsterdam


  •  Creates heating for multiple communities 
• Economic Impacts of using incineration in Amsterdam

  • Incineration plants are cheaper in the long run
  • Generates energy which will make energy cheaper (The incineration produces 1 million MWh of electricity annually)
  • Produces 300,000 gigajoules of heat annually 
  • The ash may be able to be used for construction
• Environmental Impacts of using incineration in Amsterdam

  • .4 million tonnes brought to the W2E plant
• Has Amsterdam been 100% successful in its approach to waste management?

  • The waste to energy strategy in Amsterdam is considered both economically and environmentally better than landfill. 
  • However, incineration is still a controversial waste disposal strategy. In 2014 the Dutch government set the target to reduce waste to incineration by 50% and focus on improving rates of reduction and recycling.