OVAM

Inventory or mapping

Inventory

Preparing an inventory involves mapping all landfill sites in Flanders and collecting and exchanging information about ELFM. To contribute to an optimal information flow, OVAM participates in the Flemish ELFM consortium. This multidisciplinary research consortium of actors with a broad diversity of expertise was set up in Flanders (Belgium) in 2008. The aim is to develop an approach to Enhanced Landfill Mining (ELFM) and thereby integrate landfilling in a more sustainable waste treatment. Today the upscaling of this consortium to EU level is being prepared.

The information gathering is not only limited to a literature study or field tests. Such an innovative topic also involves stakeholder management.

Inventory of landfill sites

In this context the existing OVAM databases are completed and linked with a view to opening up the available data (figure). A first major step was taken in 2012, but the quality control of the data shows that this is a continuous process for the coming planning period. A large-scale base map and associated database were prepared in 2013.

Prioritising landfill sites

A methodology was developed to prioritise landfill sites, both by their need for remediation and ELFM potential. This decision supporting model has been applied to a test series of 72 landfill sites. In 2013 this model was further refined and documented as Flaminco (Flanders Landfill Mining Challenges and Opportunities). An extension to the full landfill site inventory was made in 2013, together with a simple adjustment of the indicators and weighting factors. In the next years this method will be refined and tested in the field (depending on available budgets).