Renewi plc (LSE: RWI), the international waste-to-product business, announces today that the Minister of Environment and Housing, acting on advice from IL&T, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, has lifted the ban on the use of thermally treated soil (TGG) in the Dutch market. As a result, TGG produced by Renewi’s ATM facility can now be used for industrial purposes at appropriate sites in the Netherlands and abroad.

IL&T imposed a ban on the use of TGG in 2018, pending a period of testing of TGG production by market participants in order to understand the full chemical composition of TGG. This process was completed in recent months, including an extensive testing programme by ATM. The testing has demonstrated that TGG is safe to use in an industrial environment.

ATM has maintained a strong pipeline of customers who intend to use TGG at their locations. These specific uses will require approval by local regulators, as before. We anticipate that as the market reopens it may take some months to secure the first permits for use. Our outlook for the year ended 31 March 2020, as provided on 7 November 2019, is therefore unchanged.

Commenting on the news, Otto de Bont, Chief Executive, said:

“We are delighted that the Minister and IL&T have lifted the ban after confirming TGG is safe for use in an industrial application. We will now work hard with our customers to secure permits for its local application in the coming months. The ability to use TGG again as an important secondary material in the infrastructure market will complement our ongoing strategy to scale up capacity for the manufacture of secondary building materials using TGG.”