Waste as a commodity
Waste is no longer a dirty word. On the contrary: it’s now a commodity and Flanders aims to attract these new flows of materials. So, in 2012, the Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij (OVAM) launched the public-private ‘Flemish Materials Programme’. One of the strategic leverage projects of this programme is the development of Flanders as a recycling hub for Europe via its seaports.
Attracting flows
VIL’s ‘Flanders Recycling Hub’ is part of this strategy. It aims to mark out a roadmap for developing Flanders into an international recycling hub where materials are delivered, recycled and re-exported. “Flemish companies already have extensive expertise in the area of recycling. They’re world leaders. But that’s not enough to make Flanders a recycling hub on an international scale. The flows of materials won’t just turn up.
Booming business
Through this project, VIL aims to investigate how the favourable logistical basis and existing knowledge can be used to put Flanders firmly on the map for the circular economy. This business is growing strongly and offers promising opportunities, not just for specialist industry, but also for logistics service providers, the waste sector and shipping companies.