Buiteneiland is the last island we are building on IJburg. The filling of the island has just started. We are doing this as much as possible with reusable soil from the city. The first shipment comes from the Houthavens and was deposited on Tuesday, March 25.
Buiteneiland will be about the same size as Vondelpark, with space for nature, sports, and recreation. There will likely be no housing. We will decide this later. If there are housing units, there will be a maximum of 500.
This is what the island looks like now
The island is currently little more than a bathtub of water with a temporary road in the middle for trucks and cranes to use. You can already see it from across the IJburgbaai on the Bert Haanstrakade. Buiteneiland will be ready sometime between 2045 and 2050.
Thinking along about the plans
Residents from the neighborhood and other stakeholders can think along about how the island will look. We will announce later what people can contribute and in what way. We will start participation processes at that time.
Reuse of valuable soil
The dike around the island was constructed with sand from the IJmeer. We are using soil from the city to fill the island. There is always a lot of soil left over when digging for things like parking garages, sewers, and cables and pipes. This soil is valuable and scarce. Therefore, the municipality has been handling it carefully for over 30 years.
Use of lightly contaminated soil
Soil in the Netherlands is often not completely clean due to old building materials or fertilizers. Therefore, soil is always tested for quality: clean, lightly, moderately, or heavily contaminated. According to the RIVM and the Environmental Service of the Noordzeekanaal area, both clean and lightly contaminated soil can be safely reused. We need both to raise the island on time. This has been done in Amsterdam for years, but never for an entire island. Therefore, it has been independently researched whether lightly contaminated soil poses risks to water quality. The conclusion is that it is safe. The municipality is still waiting for a permit. Until then, we will only use clean soil.
Circular city
With the construction of Buiteneiland, Amsterdam takes another step towards a more sustainable and circular city. Residents of IJburg can follow the development closely and in the future enjoy a new piece of nature and recreation close to home.