Waste management equals climate gain

Amagerforbrænding

Amagerforbrænding is a key player in waste handling in the centre of Copenhagen. The company’s objective is to continue to be the preferred choice in waste manager – both in providing facilities for recycling and in replacing fossil fuels by producing energy from waste.

At the recycling stations the citizens of Copenhagen are assisted by recycling guides in order to ensure the best sorting of waste

The Danish waste strategy is founded on four steps according to government policy. Step one is about reducing waste, for instance by using cleaner technologies in the industries. The second step involves recycling of as much waste as possible such as glass, metal, and plastics. Step three is concerned with non-recyclable waste. In Denmark this category of waste is incinerated and transformed into energy. The last step of the system is deposit or special treatment of waste that cannot be recycled or incinerated – this amounts to less than 6% of all waste in the country.

Waste in action

Every day, about 400 trucks unload waste for incineration at Amagerforbrænding, including refuse collection and other types of waste from households and companies. The waste is dumped into a large silo from where it is lifted by cranes to the top of the incineration plant’s firing shafts. Via the shafts, the waste slides onto the oven floors where moving grids lead the burning waste forward.

The heat from the waste incineration is used to heat water to high pressure steam used in the production of electricity and district heating. About 20% of the steam is converted to electricity at Amagerforbrænding while the rest of the energy is used to heat water for the district heating system. In total, Amagerforbrænding incinerates more than 435,000 metric tonnes of waste a year and supplies 70,000 households with electricity and another 70,000 households with heating.

During the incineration, the pollution in the waste is passed on to flue gas and the residue waste (slag) is left. The flue gas is cleansed in several stages before being released through chimneys and the residue product is shipped to Norway where it is deposited.

After the incineration, about 20% of the slag is left. The slag from the ovens is cleansed of metals for recycling and utilised in construction work when specific environmental requirements are met.

At the incineration plant waste is transformed into green energy. More than 435,000 metric tonnes of waste arrived in the plant’s bunker in 2008

Reasonable recycling

Amagerforbrænding operates a number of recycling stations locally to ensure good sorting of waste that allows for the highest percentage of handed-in waste to be reused. Every day, the employees at the stations help and guide customers on how to sort the waste consistently with eco-friendly recycling.

More than 118,000 of waste are collected from recycling stations, and 72% of the materials are reused. A fourth of the collected waste cannot be recycled and is incinerated as above while only 3% is deposited or specially treated.

The mid-city location of Amagerforbrænding means there is a short distance to transport waste to the plant and stable supply of electricity and district heating to the area. The local population is the first to benefit from any innovations as they happen, ensuring that Amagerforbrænding is the preferred waste and energy company of the capital.

The company is managed by a balancing principle, so both the incineration plant and the recycling depots make the money needed for operating the business. Hence, revenues and costs balance on a long-term basis. It is not our purpose to create economic profit, but rather benefits for the inhabitants and companies in the five municipalities and the environment we all live in.

Amagerforbrænding
W: www.amfor.dk