The International Water Association’s Resource Recovery Best Practice Award 2015 has been awarded jointly to Waternet, Restoffenunie and industrial companies Ardagh Glass and Desso, for their work on recycling calcium carbonate from wastewater for use in three industrial processes. Across the world, practices to soften water are used to make drinking water. The side stream of calcium carbonate which this process often generates is normally considered to be ‘worthless’, a ‘waste’ material with no or even negative value. The combined efforts of Dutch water treatment company, Waternet, and a company focused on recycling, Restoffenunie, has now effectively recycled these calcium carbonate wastes.
