Dutch company Bin2Barrel will start producing fuel from waste plastic to power cargo ships leaving the Port of Amsterdam from the end of the year.
A grant from the Dutch government has facilitated the development of the plant, which is the first of four planned for the port.
The plant will process around 35,000 tonnes of waste, producing 30 million litres of fuel.
The plastic waste being processed by the plant is said to be unsuitable for recycling and has previously been incinerated or landfilled.
This new route will give the waste material a value and also provide fuel with significantly reduced CO2 emissions when compared to traditionally produced diesel.
It also provides an alternative to bio-fuels, which are said to require large amounts of land and resources to produce.
Roon van Maanen, head of circular & renewable industry at the Port of Amsterdam, said: ‘The use of and the lack of a proper processing of plastic cause massive pollution worldwide.
‘Bin2Barrel introduces innovative and urgently needed technology that will enable us to make use of a currently non-recyclable flow of waste in a manner that makes perfect sense.
‘By creating a new product from an otherwise problematic waste, this factory will help the Port transition towards a circular economy.’ [sic]
