Innovative landscaping

Next to the North Sea Canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, one of the largest landscaping projects was realised using secondary aggregates. It is called "Het groene Schip" – translated "The green Ship". The project creates a visual barrier between the port of Amsterdam and the surrounding area.

Visual protection and local recreation area

The owner of this unique project is the Dutch state. In Haarlemmerliede and Spaarnwoude, this green landscape is a new landmark that is not only visually appealing but also serves as an innovative regional recreational area. Ideas for use include hiking and cycling trails, a sports centre with outdoor swimming pool and a restaurant with a view of the North Sea Canal.

"The Green Ship" has an impressive length of one kilometre and is about 30 m high (the peak is about 60 m high) and resembles a ship anchored in the canal. A total of at least 3 million m³ of mineral material was required for the construction.

Secondary raw materials at "Het groene Schip"

The main part of the construction was built with incinerator bottom ash (IBA), i.e. the processed bottom ash from Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants. In the Netherlands, the ash for this type of construction must be certified according to the Dutch BRL 2307.

As in other European countries, secondary raw materials in the Netherlands must be kept safely away from groundwater. As the Dutch groundwater level is very high, a corresponding layer of primary material in the form of a fill was constructed as a kind of foundation for the rest of the structure to ensure the required distance between the base of the structure and the groundwater table.

Every day, up to 10,000 tonnes of secondary building materials were needed for construction. The first part of the project was completed after approx. three years. One of the most important suppliers of the incinerator bottom ash was the Dutch HEROS Sluiskil B.V., a 100% subsidiary of REMEX GmbH.