Unlocking the circular potential of Utrecht's waste management centers
Mapping resource flows, eliminating waste, and creating value
In partnership with the Alliance ‘Cirkelregio Utrecht’, Metabolic mapped the waste flows at municipal waste centers researching how to establish circular value chains for commonly wasted materials. Our mission was to identify promising pathways to upgrade waste into high-value resources, reduce environmental impacts, and create an actionable roadmap for circular resource use.
- Client: Utrecht Province
- Partner: Natuur & Milieu Federatie (NMF), Amersfoort Municipality, Utrecht Municipality, Afval van Utrecht (AVU)
- Date: April 2024
The role of municipal waste centers in circular value chains
Cities drive innovation and are crucial in transitioning to circular systems. The Province of Utrecht is committed to achieving a circular economy, where wasting materials becomes a thing of the past. Municipal waste centers (‘milieustraten’) play a central role in cities where many types of household waste are collected. These centers hold the potential to become collection hubs in circular material chains. However, currently, much of the material collected at regional waste centers either loses value and/or is not part of a circular value chain. The challenge was to pinpoint viable opportunities to reclaim these resources, identify systemic barriers to progress, and establish actionable steps to scale circular solutions.
Mapping waste streams to unlock the circular potential
To drive Utrecht Province’s transition toward a circular economy, we conducted a comprehensive material flow analysis to understand waste streams. For high-potential materials—such as electronic waste, wood, and metals—we pinpointed opportunities for high-value reuse. Through interviews and desk research, we assessed systemic challenges and collaborated with stakeholders to chart pathways for overcoming barriers. This work culminated in an actionable roadmap and prioritization of actions, ensuring stakeholders have a clear path forward to scale circular solutions. This approach not only revealed critical opportunities to adapt municipal waste centers but also highlighted the necessary cooperation between stakeholders.
Delivering impactful insights and actionable circular solutions
The project delivered a comprehensive mapping of the processing of waste streams in the Province of Utrecht, along with an analysis of the opportunities for a circular transition. Our work identified priority materials that hold significant potential for circular applications and established a clear understanding of the opportunities for high-value reuse. The spatial mapping of the material processing facilities provided insight into the potential scale of the circular value chains to be developed. The roadmap provided actionable steps, defined the roles of key actors, and proposed on what scale to establish circular value chains. By assessing these important aspects of the current waste flows and circular opportunities, the Province of Utrecht and municipalities have a roadmap at hand to support collaboration among stakeholders and advance Utrecht’s transition to a circular economy.
