CityBarge, Renewi, and their logistics partners are starting to transport commercial waste on the canals of Leiden (NL). CityBarge’s mission is to make cities more liveable by restoring existing canals and using them for city logistics. Through a combination of a zero-emission pusher tug and pushed barges, logistics flows in the inner city are transferred from the road to the water.
The plan also ties in seamlessly with the sustainability strategy of waste-to-product company Renewi to reduce CO2 emissions from waste collection in cities. Trucks cause noise, CO2 emissions, air pollution, and road congestion. This is especially true for historic cities such as Leiden, which are not designed for large trucks. Transport over existing canals in combination with hubs on the edge of the city and small electric vehicles or cargo bikes offers a sustainable alternative.
CityBarge focuses primarily on construction, waste, and retail logistics. CityBarge was established with the support of the Province of South Holland within the investment program “Invest to Renew”. In September 2020 the first CityBarge, the ‘CityBarge One’ was presented to the public in the presence of Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and today the municipality of Leiden – as part of the national Green Deal Zero Emission Stadslogistiek (ZES)- started the first production trial together with Renewi with the transport of industrial waste over water.
Picture: CityBarge