A recycle excursion that takes your breath away
On a lovely afternoon in spring, an eleven-person JASA team is getting ready to visit the Household Waste Plant Alkmaar (HVC). HVC plays a prominent role in the waste management of the provinces Flevoland, Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. In addition, HVC produces sustainable energy and invests in wind turbines and solar parks.
JASA & sustainable recycling
At JASA we are aware of our need to become more and more sustainable. What happens to packaging after we throw it out? To answer this question, we need more information in regard of the recycling process, which is why we are visiting this place with an ‘interesting’ fragrance. The team experiences what it is like to broaden your knowledge while holding your breath.
Recycling in the Netherlands
A passionate lady who has been working at the household waste plant Alkmaar for over twenty-five years shows us around the household waste plant. There is a small traffic jam; some trucks are waiting their turn to enter the recycle-circuit. We walk by the sorting line, which is the beginning of the recycle chain. From there on the waste moves in many different directions. Plastic to plastic, paper to paper, etcetera.
HVC manages many installations in Alkmaar, that all contribute to the recycling process: a waste sorting installation, a wood recycle installation, a debris recycle installation and a bottom ash washing installation. All of us notice that our guide is clearly very proud of HVC. She tells us:
“The Netherlands stands out when it comes to waste processing.”
We are happy to hear that. There used to be less waste, yet these days the trucks are waiting in line. A stronger economy results in more waste. But economic strength also causes people to invest in sustainable energy, which is facilitated by HVC as well.
Plastic recycling, some facts:
- In the Netherlands every municipality is obligated to offer civilians initiatives to recycle. For instance, there are bottle banks, paper containers, plastic collection points and it is possible to have your chemical waste picked up.
- Many people do not know where to bring their plastic waste. On the website of Plastic Heroes you can find the locations where you can take your plastic waste.
- In the Netherlands 80% of the plastic is recycled. When more people separate their plastic waste, more plastic can be recycled. But even the plastic that ends up with other waste, quite often find its way into the recycle chain.
- It is possible to recycle plastic almost unlimited times. Paper on the other hand, can only be recycled five till seven times. So it would be a shame not to recycle plastic!
Would you like to know more about recycling of packaging? Read our article about the four most important sustainability trends in the packaging industry.
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