Flemish waste management agency OVAM has mapped out more than 2,500 former landfills in Flanders, covering a total area of more than 100 square kilometres.
This inventory should allow these spaces to be reused later, for example, as business parks or nature reserves, according to a statement from the independent public agency.
The map of the more than 2,500 known landfills in Flanders can be found on the OVAM website. The locations indicated are primarily former landfills that were put into use before 1981, when landfills were still the most common method of waste processing.
According to OVAM, the map is an important first step towards reusing these spaces. The next step will be to subject all the landfills to an initial soil survey by 2028. If necessary, the soil would then be remediated. After that, the site can be given a different function.
Former landfills are already being used as business parks, recreational zones, solar energy parks or as forest and nature reserves.
“By mapping former landfills and remediating them where necessary in the long term, we are tapping into about 100 square kilometers of new space that we can use for additional nature or for economic developments,” said Flemish Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir.
“This inventory is an important first step to safeguard our open space in Flanders without slowing down our prosperity,” she added.
