A solution for non-recyclable wastes
Using cutting-edge technologies and developing pioneering solutions, REMEX’s ultimate goal is to recover as many materials as possible so they can be reused. However, not all types of mineral waste can be recycled. Which is why REMEX also offers sites where non-recyclable substances can be deposited. For example, at its Haus Forst landfill in Kerpen – a facility that guarantees a reliable service without having to encroach onto new land.
A large catchment area
The Kerpen landfill, whose first section officially began operations in April, offers a reliable location for businesses wishing to deposit volumes of waste with low levels of contamination. Such materials include non-recyclable construction waste, earth, slag and roadwork waste containing tar. The site’s catchment area covers a number of regions including Cologne, Bonn, Leverkusen, Aachen and neighbouring districts.
4.4m cubic metres of landfill space created by REMEX in Kerpen
A piggyback landfill
As with all the landfills operated by REMEX, Haus Forst has been a long-term project that has involved meticulously planned, carefully implemented and officially approved engineering work. One interesting technical fact about this location is that it is a “landfill on a landfill” – as the site is not new. The Haus Forst landfill has been around since the 70s and used to be run as a category II landfill accepting municipal waste from a variety of regions, including the Rhine-Erft district. The active sections of the landfill had to be closed down in 2005, however, after a law came into force banning the landfilling of municipal waste that had not been pretreated. At this point, just half of the volume approved for the landfill (8.2m cubic metres) had actually been filled.
Construction, commercial and industrial firms will all be able to benefit from Haus Forst’s reliable landfilling services for many years.
The most can now be made of the remaining volume thanks to this newly approved category I landfill. A bi-functional intermediate seal liner has been installed where the old and new sections of the landfill meet. On the one hand, it seals the surface of the old landfill and, on the other, seals the base of the new landfill.
Expected to remain open until 2049
By enabling an old landfill site to be recommissioned, REMEX has succeeded in providing a safe place where old materials can be deposited without having to use new, unspoiled land. All in all, REMEX’s new landfill in Kerpen has the capacity to hold around 4.4 million cubic metres of material. With approx. 250,000 tonnes being delivered to the site each year, it can expect to remain open until 2049.
Image credits: image 1: © REMONDIS
