NORDHORDLAND & Gulen Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap IKS has awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to Nordic Bulk AS for a new soil waste and aggregates washing plant, with commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.
The project reflects a broader shift in Norway toward treating excavated soil and C&D waste as recoverable resources rather than disposal liabilities. The investment is strategically timed. Norway has steadily strengthened controls on landfill use, including stricter leachate management requirements and higher gate fees, which have eroded the economic viability of disposal-only pathways for excavated materials. Municipal waste companies such as NGIR are increasingly expected to demonstrate measurable diversion rates and material recovery performance. In that context, a dedicated C&D recycling plant is less an optional sustainability add-on and more a structural response to regulatory and cost pressures.
The facility will be designed and engineered by CDE, with Nordic Bulk leading the EPC scope and early-phase design work. According to project details, the front-end engineering phase focused on operational flow, safety, and compliance with evolving environmental standards, an approach that reflects the growing complexity of waste infrastructure permitting in Norway. For operators, poor alignment between process design and regulatory expectations can translate directly into bottlenecks or retrofitting costs later in the asset life.
At the core of the project is the ability to recover a high proportion of excavated soil and construction waste into reusable aggregates. Nordic Bulk estimates that up to 80 percent of surplus soil and excavated materials processed at the facility could be recycled back into the construction market. If achieved consistently, that recovery rate would materially reduce landfill volumes while offsetting demand for virgin aggregates, which are increasingly scrutinized for their environmental footprint.
Water and energy use are central constraints in modern washing plants, particularly in regions with strict discharge limits. The NGIR installation is designed around a closed-loop water treatment system enabling full process water reuse, reducing both freshwater intake and effluent risks. The plant layout also includes future-ready electrification of machinery, integration of rainwater and borehole resources, and infrastructure provisions for on-site solar generation. While these features are now becoming standard in new-build facilities, their inclusion signals an effort to future-proof the asset against tighter emissions and energy efficiency requirements.
From an operational perspective, flexibility appears to be a defining design criterion. Both NGIR and its contractors have emphasized the system’s adaptability to evolving regulations and potential add-on treatment technologies. This is significant given that policy frameworks for recycled aggregates and soil reuse continue to evolve, particularly around contamination thresholds and end-of-waste criteria. Plants locked into narrow process configurations risk becoming obsolete before the end of their intended service life.
The project also has a market-facing dimension. By supplying consistent, high-quality recycled aggregates, NGIR aims to expand its customer base and support broader adoption of secondary materials in the regional construction sector. That ambition aligns with national circular economy goals but hinges on whether recycled outputs can compete reliably with primary materials on quality, availability, and price. The technical performance of the washing plant will therefore play a direct role in shaping downstream market acceptance.
Construction is now moving beyond groundworks, with build-out continuing through 2026. Once operational, the facility is expected to reduce landfill dependence, stabilize compliance costs for NGIR, and demonstrate how municipal waste operators can respond pragmatically to tightening environmental constraints.
