Photo: KRILOV

State-of-the-art recycling centre will transform waste into resources

The City of Copenhagen and Amager Ressourcecentre are taking another step towards circular economy with a new ground breaking recycling centre. COWI has been awarded the general consultancy contract.

27.04.2017

When the residents of Copenhagen visit the new and upcoming Sydhavn recycling centre, they will see that their waste is not waste at all, rather a resource that can be used either directly for the same function or in the production of new goods.

After having unloaded their waste or recyclable materials, they may even enjoy a picnic in the nearby green park area, while schoolchildren can come see how waste is handled and gain deeper insight into waste as a resource.

These are some of the key features of a new, groundbreaking recycling centre in Copenhagen, for which COWI will act as general consultant, with Krilov Architecs as sub-consultants.

"Analyses show that recycling is a financially sound business for companies and society in general. There is an unleashed potential and the Sydhavn recycling centre is a step in this direction. The aim is to support developing solutions that allow for reuse of materials and let them act as value-adding materials in new contexts, while educating the public that waste is not just waste – it is a resource," says Torben Frandsen Nielsen, Chief Project Manager of Waste and Contaminated Sites.

New flagship in Copenhagen

The recycling centre Sydhavn Genbrugscenter will be the new flagship of the City of Copenhagen and Amager Ressourcecenters (ARC) and was initially designed by architectural firm BIG.

The initiative is in line with the Danish government's resource strategy, "Danmark without waste" (Denmark free from waste), which states that by 2022, twice as much of the waste generated must be reused, excluding construction and building waste.

FACTS

• At the lock, which marks the entry to the Sydhavn recycling centre, residents will be able to hand in items that are suitable for reuse or repair – e.g., old boards and bricks.
• To promote and support a transition to a circular economy, at least 50 percent of the materials used in the construction of the Sydhavn Recycling Centre needs to be recycled or certified to sustainable standards.
• The centre will also hold workshops, an exhibition/dining/play area and a teaching room.
• The project began in February this year and the centre is scheduled for completion at the end of 2018.
• COWI was named as the world leader in waste management and recycling, measured in terms of turnover, in the latest ranking from Engineering News Record magazine   read more. Turnover from COWI’s consulting services within waste management ran to USD 29.5 million in 2015.