The Netherlands: Following five years of research, a group of Dutch recycling players has created an eco-tile made completely of residual household waste. Duiven is the first municipality where the pavement has been updated.
The new tile variant is the result of an innovative process in which bottom ash is processed into FORZ granules. It provides a sustainable sand and gravel substitute and creates a new alternative to the traditional paving tile that is ‘just as clean and safe’, according to concrete producer De Hamer, waste processing and power company AVR, and Renewi subsidiary Mineralz.
‘The government’s goal is to make our economy run on recycled resources in 2050,’ comments AVR’s Jeanine van de Grootevheen. ‘We noticed that the story behind this sustainable tile draws a lot of attention,’ she adds. ‘This waste is partly collected in the municipality and reused in a sensible manner, literally on people’s doorstep.’
‘On average, each Dutch citizen produces some 150 kilos of residual household waste every year,’ points out Rob Bleijerveld, R&D manager at Mineralz. He ensures that only the mineral fraction goes into the tiles, and that the valuable materials such as copper and aluminium are recovered.
Also, the tiles can easily be recycled again if they have to be removed in the future.