Denmark's Waste-to-Energy Plant: A Global Model of Sustainable Design

Bettina Kamuk, global market director for Ramboll, explains how a Copenhagen waste-to-energy facility meets air quality and emissions standards while providing low-carbon energy and recreational activity to the surrounding community.

2 minute read

August 16, 2019, 12:00 PM PDT

By Clare Letmon


Waste-to-Energy

WDnet Creation / Shutterstock

With China no longer accepting imports of post-consumer recyclables from the United States, California’s waste facilities are struggling to manage the sudden increase in volume and demand on its waste disposal facilities. Waste-to-energy conversion plants—a staple of European circular economic models to address waste management and reach decarbonization goals— face, despite success in Europe, significant public relations and political challenges in U.S. cities.

To better understand the latest innovative science behind waste-fired power plants globally, TPR recently toured Amager Bakke, a waste-to-energy plant (and, yes, ski slope attraction) in Copenhagen, Denmark; and, spoke with Bettina Kamuk, Global Market Director for Ramboll, who explained how the Copenhagen facility meets air quality and emissions standards while providing low-carbon energy and recreational activity to its surrounding community.

"The Amager Bakke waste-to-energy (WtE) facility, which we engineered and designed, supplies one-third of all heat to Copenhagen, and is part of Denmark’s 2010 national strategy to reduce all dependency on fossil fuels by 2030. The Amager Bakke WtE facility is owned and operated by Amager Resource Centre (ARC), a five city consortia, to supply low-carbon electricity to 550,000 people and district heating to 140,000 households.

This plant replaced a 45-year-old facility.  ARC’s objectives were to replace the aging lines of this facility, produce a lower emission, more efficient plant that would have a higher recovery of materials like metals, and be a beacon for the city, open to the public. Everyone knows that we are building a ski slope on the roof and that this facility is in the center of the city. We don’t hide what we’re doing. We show what we’re doing with our waste."

Read the full interview on The Planning Report.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

4 hours ago - Mass Transit

South LA Wetlands Park in Los Angeles, California.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope

Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

5 hours ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Intersection in downtown Sacramento, California with neoclassical building with columns on left.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects

The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.

6 hours ago - The Sacramento Bee