Much more sewage sludge incinerated

In 2008, almost the entire volume of sludge from the Dutch sewerage system was incinerated.

Incineration of sludge and biomass

Nearly 60 percent of the total volume of sewage sludge was incinerated in waste incineration plants. During this process, (renewable) electricity is generated. Another 40 percent was co-incinerated as biomass in power stations and cement kilns.

Volume of sewage sludge by final processing method

Dumping and composting

The methods to process sludge have changed in recent years. In 1995, half of the entire volume of sludge was dumped and one fifth was made into compost. Stricter regulations have almost entirely put an end to sludge dumping. In 2008, the conversion process from sludge into compost was only an intermediate step prior to sludge incineration.

The amount of sludge processed in sewage sludge treatment plants was marginally smaller in 2008 than in the preceding years.

Marnix de Zeeuw and Kees Baas