Limburg Optimo Sorting, Belgium

The Limburg Optimo Sorting Facility was launched in 2022 and services 32 municipalities, enabling smarter sorting for more than 300 000 households. The facility sorts 5 different fractions: food waste, garden waste, textile waste, residual waste and plastic/metal packaging. The facility is built to be flexible and has the option to add 2 more fractions in the future.

Project Overview

The Limburg Optimo Sorting Facility, developed by Bionerga and Limburg.net in Belgium, was launched in 2022 to serve 32 municipalities and provide smarter waste sorting for over 309,000 households. The facility currently processes five waste fractions: food waste, garden waste, textile waste, residual waste, and plastic/metal packaging, with the capacity to add two more fractions in the future.

The system promotes sustainable waste management, using bags made from recycled materials. Residents receive a quota of pre-paid residual waste bags, with additional charges for any excess waste. Recyclable waste is charged from the first bag but at a lower cost, incentivising residents to reduce residual waste and improve sorting habits.

The state-of-the-art sorting plant features 45 conveyor belts spanning over 650 metres, five waste buffer lanes (1,800 m³), and 12 double pusher units. Each fraction line can process up to 7,000 bags per hour, handling a total capacity of 800 tonnes of waste per day.

To further reduce environmental impact, municipalities use 100% HVO fuel for collection trucks. Thanks to the logistical efficiency of the facility, fuel savings range from 17–30%, depending on the number of fractions collected in each area.

800 tonnes/day

designed collection capacity

5 fractions

food waste, garden waste, textile waste, residual waste, plastic/metal packaging

14 000 bags/hour

each of the two lines can handle up to 7000 bags per hour

309000 households

in 32 municipalities serviced

This installation puts us at the forefront of collecting and sorting household waste.
Stefan Geenen Site Director for Biostoom Beringen, Belgium

Optimised waste collection with advanced sorting technology

A sorting facility allows municipalities to streamline household waste collection into a cost-efficient system without modifying existing infrastructure.

Envac’s optical sorting solutions are suitable for cities and regions of all sizes. They reduce transport and collection costs by over 50% compared to traditional systems. These solutions can be seamlessly integrated with Envac’s smart waste collection system or a municipality’s existing method, ensuring cost-effective waste handling while significantly increasing recycling rates.

This technology makes it easy to comply with new packaging regulations (FNI) by offering:

Compatibility with existing collection methods and equipment
Higher recycling rates, space savings, and improved user satisfaction
Support for environmental targets, helping communities achieve sustainability goals

Whenever we have a new recycling technology for a material that our citizens want to sort, we are already prepared to implement that new fraction. The cost of logistics, often dictating the cost analysis, has become almost irrelevant in this new business case and certainly unrelated to the collected volume or participation of households.

Wim Govaerts Innovation Manager, Limburg.net, Belgium

Eskilstuna in Sweden is leading the way

The municipality of Eskilstuna was among the first in Sweden to offer its residents property-based collection. When the demands of the national goals increased, the municipality transitioned to an optical sorting solution from Envac as early as 2010. Environmental goals of 50% waste sorting were achieved within just a few months.

The facility, which sorts out six fractions, is owned and operated by ESEM (Eskilstuna Strängnäs Energy and Environment Ltd). Eskilstuna today has several municipalities connected to the system, and they are among the leading municipalities in Sweden in recycling.

In 2023, Eskilstuna municipality, as one of the few municipalities, was able to lower its waste collection and disposal fees for residents with maintained low fees throughout 2024. The optical sorting facility contributes to this by being a flexible system where it is easy to expand the number of fractions.

Projects

Our innovative waste collection system helps shape smart and sustainable cities. By reducing emissions and providing clean, green and sanitary waste inlets for both residents and commercial actors, we want to improve the quality-of-life in the city.