A consortium of key players, including recycler Renewi, DB Cargo Nederland, Cabooter Venlo, AEB Amsterdam, and Topsector Logistiek, will collaboratively investigate the feasibility and efficiency of transporting 500 tonnes of waste in bales by train. The aim is to explore the potential for more sustainable waste transport methods and to reduce the carbon footprint associated with road transport.
Currently, Renewi transports around 1,300 tonnes of residual waste from Limburg every week, involving around 59 road trips. The aim of the pilot project is to evaluate the technical aspects of baling waste without shredding it and then loading these bales onto railway wagons, thus enabling a more streamlined and environmentally friendly waste transport process.
Martijn Rüth, General Area Manager of Renewi Netherlands, expressed the company's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint: "Transporting waste by rail instead of road reduces CO2 emissions and alleviates traffic on Dutch roads.”
"With this pilot, we want to gain insight into the technical aspects, preconditions such as permit requirements, actual costs and the amount of CO2 reduction from transport. These results will provide insight into the extent to which rail is a good alternative for transporting waste,” commented Kim Hazelaar, Programme Manager of Top Sector Logistics.
The proposed method of transporting 500 tonnes of waste in a single train trip offers significant advantages over traditional road transport, which requires the use of 23 trucks. The switch to bale waste transport is proving to be beneficial to the environment and to road congestion. The three-week pilot project, including a comprehensive evaluation of waste transport logistics, promises to be a milestone in the development of greener and more environmentally responsible practices in the waste management sector.
