Vincent Geven, Director Operations at Ekro, explains this approach: “Due to stricter environmental and licensing requirements, we have to ensure cleaner ways to dispose of our wastewater. In addition, we made plans right away to collect - under controlled conditions - unborn manure, a residual product from the intestines, which is released during the slaughter process. This product is transported to a processor just like the sludge from the wastewater. Collecting unborn manure under controlled conditions reduces odour emissions, which means that we take our responsibility as 'good neighbours' to our community.” The new technique enables Ekro to extract more dry matter from wastewater, too. This makes the wastewater cleaner and the dry-matter content of sludge and unborn manure is higher. As a consequence, fewer transport movements to the processor are required. 

The construction of the wastewater treatment plant will offer even more advantages to Ekro, says Geven, adding that "This wastewater treatment plant complies with the latest safety standards, so we are taking a large step forward in terms of health and safety, and the well-being of our employees. Since certain parts of the site had to be dug up during construction anyway, we were able to increase site safety as a whole by installing walkways and clearer routing directions. In this way, we increased the safety of the site for our colleagues and truck drivers. This new wastewater treatment plant sets us up for the next 20 years at least.”