Powering ships with plastic in Amsterdam

Powering ships with plastic in Amsterdam:

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In the Port of Amsterdam, a new factory is being built that could revolutionize the way we dispose of plastic waste. Utilizing groundbreaking technology, the facility will use previously unrecyclable plastic to create fuel for diesel powered cargo ships.

Thanks to a partnership with the Port of Amsterdam and a grant from the Dutch government, the plant is expected to begin operations by the end of 2018. If all goes well, this will be the first of four such ‘plastic to fuel’ factories to be built near the port. In the initial year it’s estimated that 35,000 tonnes of garbage will be converted into 30 million litres of fuel, giving value to materials that would otherwise go to waste.

The project provides a multitude of environmental benefits across the entire value chain. The Port of Amsterdam estimates an annual 57,000 tonnes reduction of CO2 emissions.

The most obvious benefit is in waste disposal. Plastic used by the factories is not suitable for traditional recycling and until now it was either burnt or ended up in landfills. By converting it to fuel, the plastic gets a new life and doesn’t enter the environment as trash.

Critics of waste to energy argue that this sort of technology impedes the growth of truly renewable forms of power, such as solar and wind. However, the proponents of such recycling models argue that factories such as these are necessary, as they offer a more environmentally friendly option than those reliant on fossil fuels and at the same time address the ever growing plastic pollution challenge.

It goes without saying that to ensure a sustainable future, we need to move away from fossil fuels. The founders of Bin2Barrel acknowledge this and see ‘plastic to fuel’ as an intermediate step. The end game of the company isn’t to be a major fuel producer, but instead turn towards recycling the plastics and advocate for a circular economy. The company’s ultimate goal is “the implementation of chemical recycling, in order to enable the creation of new plastics.” Once the technology is advanced Bin2Barrel  wants to focus on breaking plastic waste down to valuable chemical components, so it can then be used again in entirely new products.