Indaver produces high-grade compost from bio-organic waste

Indaver processes bio-organic waste, such as vegetable, garden and fruit waste (VGF), into high-grade compost at its own plants and at plants that it operates for public authorities. The compost is used as a soil improver in agriculture and horticulture. Indaver monitors the quality and safety of these recovered materials, ensuring that they do not endanger the food chain.

Compost and biomass

At the Indaver site in Grimbergen and in Kallo, Indaver processes prunings, grass clippings, tree trunks, organic industrial waste and vegetal green waste from municipalities, contracting businesses and gardeners.

By separating the green waste mechanically, the woody fraction that remains can be processed into biomass for generating sustainable energy. The green waste, together with the required quantity of woody structure material needed to produce a high-quality end-product, is converted into compost. 

Brussel Compost (a joint venture between Net Brussel and Indaver) also combines green composting and biomass production. At WIPS (a joint venture between Indaver and SUEZ), Indaver generates compost from VGF. It also supplies the VGF plant of the VERKO intermunicipal organisation with green waste. Organic waste from the food industry is processed by preference in IVVO's fermentation plant in Ypres. Fermenting bio-organic waste produces biogas and compost. The biogas can be converted into heat or electricity or upgraded into a natural gas form and supplied to the grid.

Closing the loop

The compost is used as high-quality, certified compost. To achieve this high quality, a sieve is used to separate the residue flows or pollutants from the compost. A unit then sorts the sieved excess via various separation techniques. This process produces ferrous and non-ferrous metals (reused by means of metal recycling), small stones (reused via construction waste recycling) in addition to biomass and compost. The residue fraction, such as plastic, goes to the waste-to-energy plant.

Quality mark for compost

Indaver monitors the quality of the biowaste that comes in for treatment and goes out as high-quality compost. Indaver allows its compost to be used in agriculture and horticulture only if it meets all the strict environmental and hygienic requirements.

Vlaco, the Flemish Compost Organisation, checks the quality of the bio-organic waste treatment for OVAM, the Public Waste Agency of Flanders. Companies with a Vlaco certificate may use their end product as fertiliser or soil improver. Vlaco not only monitors the end-product but also the input flows and the process itself.

Therefore, companies that produce Vlaco compost meet all the environmental requirements of VLAREMA (the Flemish Regulation for the sustainable management of material cycles and waste). 

Indaver is in possession of an inspection certificate for Vlaco compost.


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Indaver Grimbergen
Westvaartdijk 111
t +32 2 255 03 60
f +32 2 253 05 01