EcoWerf is taking an important step towards more sustainable waste management with the ‘Pmd over water’ project. Since March 2, 2026, no less than 80% of the collected PMD waste from the region, supplemented with waste from Interrand, has been transported by barge to the Indaver sorting facility in Willebroek.
The ship Zulu departs from the quay in Wilsele two to three times a week with 13 containers, good for 91 tons of pmd each time. This means that one ship replaces up to 10 trucks or 25 waste collection vehicles. On an annual basis, this means a saving of 2,320 truck journeys and a COâ‚‚ reduction of 127 tons.
Logistical efficiency increases thanks to a tailor-made waste compactor, which reduces the volume of the PMD by two-thirds, and specially designed containers that make optimal use of the ship’s capacity. The transport route via inland waterways takes approximately eight hours.
EcoWerf aims to transport half of all waste by waterway by 2030. The waste intermunicipal company is further investing in infrastructure and quay expansion and also wants to open up water-related logistics to other players.
The investment amount for ‘Pmd over water’ is 1.4 million euros, the annual water transport (ship and skipper) costs 500,000 euros. The initiative receives both financial and logistical support from De Vlaamse Waterweg, Fost Plus, Indaver and OVAM.
