Waste-to-Energy and Social Acceptance: Copenhill WTE Plant in Copenhagen

The construction of the Copenhill Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant in a residential suburb in Copenhagen redefines the concept of a WtE plant. This is not just because of its location in a residential area and its special architecture, since that had already been achieved by Spittelau WtE plant in Wien (Austria); but rather for providing a multi-functional building with room for social and industrial activities in a sustainable manner and with good utilization of urban space. Copenhill represents an example of integration of WtE plants in an urban area and collaboration with the residents to achieve social acceptance in the activities developed by the waste and energy sector. In other words, Copenhill is the first WtE-plant of a new reinvented concept; there may be lessons in this for planned projects around the world, as a lack of community acceptance is often cited as a factor in unsuccessful proposals.