News
Van Gansewinkel Groep converts waste from Naples into energy
12 January 2012
AVR, a subsidiary of the Van Gansewinkel Groep, is going to process waste from the Italian city Naples in its incineration plant in Rozenburg (Rotterdam). The first ship carrying 2.000 tonnes of baled and sorted household waste has already sailed from Naples and is expected to dock in Rotterdam on 23 January. After arriving in the Netherlands, the waste will be incinerated and converted into energy.
AVR has a permit to import 50,000 tonnes of waste from Italy. The waste will be inspected in the Netherlands and in Italy by personnel of AVR and the shipping company. The inspections form part of the legally required acceptance testing.
Eric Sloots, commercial director of AVR: “AVR's processing of household waste flows from Naples is an excellent example of how economic activity can go hand in hand with saving the environment. The waste would have been landfilled in Italy, but it is now going to be converted into energy. 50,000 tonnes of waste produces enough energy for 35 million hot showers.”
Waste incineration accompanied by energy recovery helps reduce CO2 emissions. Including the sea transport, approximately 160 kg less CO2 per tonne of waste is emitted into the atmosphere compared with landfilling.
With a processing capacity of approximately 1.7 million tonnes and a market share of approximately 25%, AVR is the market leader in the Benelux. The incineration activities of the waste processor and energy supplier generates district heating for nearby towns, steam for local industry and electricity for the national power grid. AVR's net energy production is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 200,000 households.