Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s new recycling, waste and street cleansing services contractor, Veolia, started its first day on the job earlier this week (5 October). 

Taking over from Cory, Veolia were awarded the contract in March 2015 after the Council led an extensive tendering exercise, in which seven companies originally expressed an interest.

The new contract will run for 15 and a half years and aims to enhance and extend Southend’s recycling, waste and street cleansing services while saving around £22m over the lifetime of the contract.

Staff working for the current contractor, Cory, have transferred to Veolia and undergone inductions and training.

Key features of the contract include a dedicated beach cleaning machine

• Weekly recycling and waste collection services
• Operation and refurbishment of the Council’s two Household Waste Recycling Centres
• Street cleaning
• Gully cleaning and emptying
• Winter road gritting
• Cleaning of public toilets
• Graffiti and flyposting removal
• Weed spraying and removal
• Build and operation of the borough’s new Waste Transfer Station
• Provision for commercial waste services

Waste Collection

Cllr Martin Terry, executive Councillor for Public Protection, Waste & Transport, said: “Recycling, waste and street cleansing services lie at the heart of keeping our Borough clean and attractive for residents and visitors alike.

“Awarding this new contract reinforces our commitment to increased recycling, cleaner beaches, streets and parks, and protects local employment by transferring Cory staff over to Veolia.

“Council officers have been working closely with Veolia and Cory over the past few months to ensure a smooth transition. Residents just need to put out their pink recycling sacks, food waste bins and black bin bags on their usual day.

Cllr Martin Terry – “Recycling, waste and street cleansing services lie at the heart of keeping our Borough clean and attractive for residents and visitors alike”

“The Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres will also continue to operate as usual and we will continue to communicate with local businesses and residents ahead of any work at these sites.”

Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice President of Veolia UK and Ireland, said: “We’re excited to start our new partnership with Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, backing the Borough by investing £17m over the course of the contract. Veolia is committed to delivering increased recycling rates and first class services to those that live and work in Southend-on-Sea.”

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A Nottingham-based combined heat and power (CHP) plant has received a £14.6m investment from the Equitix-managed Energy Savings Investments fund, while an additional £15m of private capital has been mobilised from the Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF).

The plant is to be built in the Widmerpool area of Nottingham and has been developed jointly by Pinnacle Power Limited and Mycock Associates. It will generate over 6.8 MW of green electricity and will be built as CHP ‘ready’ with the potential to supply heat to a co-located wood drying facility. It is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 13,300 tonnes of CO2e per year.

The scheme’s biomass boiler and flue gas cleaning systems are being supplied by the Italian company Pensotti Fabbrica Caldaie Legnano S.P.A. and, once operational (expected in March 2017), the project will sell electricity to GDF Suez UK under a long-term power off take agreement. Veolia Energy Services Ltd has been awarded the long-term operations and maintenance contract.

Geoff Jackson, Chief Executive Director, Equitix, who were advised by law firm Squire Patton Boggs’ Projects team, said: “Equitix have a robust pipeline of CHP opportunities in the UK and we are pleased to have closed another of these deals on behalf of our investors. We work with a diverse range of partners to support innovative deals across the country that will ultimately deliver remarkable carbon savings over the projects’ life.”

Commenting on the deal, Robin Baillie said: “Closing this deal marks a significant milestone for our Projects team as it is our first instruction for ESI and EEEF. It is also likely be one of the last deals to close under the ROC regime so we are pleased to have achieved this completion on behalf of Equitix and the Green Investment Bank (an investor in Energy Savings Investments). We hope this is the first of many more deals we can deliver for them.”

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Veolia, working with its charity partner, FoodCycle, has announced it will support the charity’s Breadline Challenge initiative – a campaign to raise awareness of rising UK food poverty and to help raise funds for FoodCycle’s work across the country.

The Breadline Challenge will ask volunteers, and the general public to live on a food and drink budget of £2.86 a day for a week this November and raise funds for FoodCycle. Under a partnering scheme, Veolia are working with FoodCycle to help them achieve their objectives and Veolia staff will be taking an active part in the campaign that runs from the 16^th to 22^nd November.

FoodCycle projects run on the simple belief that food waste and food poverty should not co-exist and the national charity combines volunteers, donated food and spare kitchen spaces to create tasty, nutritious meals for people at risk of food poverty and social isolation. An estimated 4 million people in the UK today are affected by food poverty and FoodCycle provides meals for vulnerable people from surplus food through their Hubs across the country.  

Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia’s Senior Executive Vice-President UK & Ireland said: “Through our partnership with FoodCycle we can all help improve the lives of vulnerable members in the community and by taking part in the Breadline Challenge our teams will help spread awareness of this need and support the cause. Our commitment is to improve the lives of our communities and help reduce the 7 million tonnes of food waste that goes to landfill each year by turning it into a resource.”

Commenting on the fundraising initiative, Mary McGrath, CEO of FoodCycle, said: “We’re so pleased that Veolia staff have chosen to support us with this year’s Breadline Challenge campaign. We know that living on a minimal budget for just one week is no way comparable to a life in poverty – but, by taking part in the Breadline Challenge, staff are helping to raise vital funds that will support FoodCycle’s projects across the country.”

The post Veolia Teams With FoodCycle To Support The Breadline Challenge appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

Veolia has announced that it has completed the acquisition of the business and assets of Boomeco Limited, a waste wood processor and producer of refuse derived fuel (RDF).    

Based in Avonmouth, Bristol, the Boomeco site processes a variety of grades of wood into wood chips to be used in combined heat and power plants and produces RDF from residual household waste.

Veolia says the acquisition complements its growth strategy to manufacture green products and green energy, helping to save resources as part of the move towards a low carbon economy.

Gavin Graveson, Veolia’s chief operating officer public and commercial in the UK said: “We are making significant progress in our drive to increase the quality of energy we are delivering from renewable sources.

“Post-COP21, Veolia’s ongoing expansion in biomass and RDF production will help the UK meet its 2020 carbon emissions targets, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing domestic energy security.

“The strategic acquisition of Boomeco will become our platform in the South West for wood and RDF production, strengthening our position in this growing market and supporting the sustainable circular economy.”

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To encourage people to think more about plastic recycling, Veolia has joined forces with Artichoke to bring Litre of Light to the nation’s capital for the first time, as part of the spectacular Lumiere London light festival, from 14-17 January.

The Litre of Light exhibit, located at Central Saint Martins in London’s King’s Cross, emphasises how recycling and a simple technology can change thousands of people’s lives across the world.

Veolia is supporting the project as part of its goal to highlight the importance of plastic recycling with a particular focus this time on families. This is significant since the latest YouGov research, commissioned by Veolia, reveals how children aged 8-15 know more about recycling than their parents!

Richard Kirkman, Veolia UK – “When it comes to recycling plastics practice makes perfect, because despite knowing all this we still lose 50% of all bottles to landfill! We want to encourage the nation, regardless of their age, to think twice about whether they can reuse their bottles…”

The Litre of Light exhibit, which is one of 30 artworks and installations in the festival, invites individuals and families alike to learn about issues relating to poverty, sustainability and climate change, and the positive impact innovation and recycling can have. The artwork has been created by reusing plastic bottles – that might otherwise have ended up in landfill – to create a safe and sustainable source of light for people living without electricity in their homes.

Richard Kirkman, Technical Director, Veolia UK and Ireland comments, “When it comes to recycling plastics practice makes perfect, because despite knowing all this we still lose 50% of all bottles to landfill! We want to encourage the nation, regardless of their age, to think twice about whether they can reuse their bottles for another drink, or turn them into something completely different altogether. And if that’s not possible remind them they can be recycled too.”

As part of the project, up to 500 London schoolchildren are taking part in a series of school workshops, learning about the Litre of Light technology, resources and recycling around the world. They’re also discovering how to make their own light bulb from a recycled two litre plastic bottle, building on from their recycling knowledge to address wider environmental topics, such as up-cycling.

The light bulbs created by the school children form part of the Litre of Light exhibit, designed by artist Mick Stephenson with the help of Central Saint Martins’ students. Litre of Light is located at Central Saint Martins, Granary Square, King’s Cross London as part of Lumiere London which is open to the public.

Richard Kirkman continues, “Come and see this fantastic exhibition and have your own light bulb moment about recycling more plastics, which should be a New Year’s resolution for everyone in 2016.”

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Veolia has announced the acquisition of the US company Kurion, the California-based startup credited for stabilising Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the wake of the 2011 tsunami and a specialist in nuclear waste cleanup technology, for $350m.

The acquisition completes a critical part of Veolia’s strategy in the nuclear cleanup sector. Its objectives in this area were outlined in 2013 when the company signed a collaboration agreement with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and formed Asteralis.

With the addition of Kurion’s expertise and technology, Veolia is rounding out its portfolio of services to the nuclear industry and will now be able to provide all existing solutions and know-how in both nuclear facility cleanup and the treatment of low and medium-level radioactive waste.

Antoine Frérot, Veolia – “Bringing Kurion and its employees into Veolia is going to enable us to develop a world-class integrated offer in nuclear facility cleanup and treatment of low level radioactive waste around the world”

Veolia’s Asteralis subsidiary specialises in characterising waste and assessing nuclear facilities. Its specialist subsidiaries in water and waste treatment, and soil remediation—Veolia Water Technologies, SARP Industries and GRS Valtech—have state-of-the-art technology that can serve the nuclear industry.

The combination of these technologies and know-how with that of Kurion in radioactive waste separation, vitrification and robotics for access to sensitive areas, will enable Veolia to develop a world-class industrial offer for nuclear facility cleanup and the treatment of low and medium-level radioactive waste.

Synergies may be deployed in the medium term to develop an integrated offer for facility cleanup and restoration, as well as the treatment of solid and liquid waste. The offer will be proposed to the nuclear sector (facilities and research centers, that are in operation or being decommissioned), as well as to the oil industry and the pharmaceuticals industry.

Kurion

Kurion was founded in 2008 and is based in Irvine, California. It offers solutions in nuclear waste cleanup and facility decommissioning, as well as treatment of low-level radioactive waste. Kurion’s activities fall into three areas of expertise: separation, stabilisation, and robotics for access to restricted areas.

Antoine Frérot, chairman and CEO of Veolia, said: “Bringing Kurion and its employees into Veolia is going to enable us to develop a world-class integrated offer in nuclear facility cleanup and treatment of low level radioactive waste around the world. By having all the expertise and solutions that are indispensable for the treatment of this type of waste, our company is confirming that it is what it has always been: a pioneer in the treatment and recovery of waste and resources.”

“With Veolia, Kurion has found the perfect partner to accelerate our growth trajectory while expanding our markets and commercial offerings. The combination of the two companies establishes a major force in the Nuclear Restoration market”, said William Gallo, Kurion CEO.

Josh Wolfe, MD of Lux Capital who founded and funded Kurion added: “The dream when we started was deep technology, rapid growth and permanent global impact. I was extremely impressed and persuaded by the vision of Veolia CEO Antoine Frérot for growth and permanence.  I look forward to seeing positive headlines for years to come.”

This acquisition is subject to approval by US authorities, in particular US competition authorities.

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Picture above from left to right: Abbe Saunders, DWP; Elena Barrasso, DWP; Rebecca Wheeler, Veolia; David Evans, Veolia; Teresa Davey; Veolia; James Smith, Veolia, Elliot Roche, Veolia; Andrew Rhodes, Veolia, Anthony Wild, Veolia; Kate Child, Westminster Kingsway College, Samantha Bradford, Veolia.

The first graduates of the “Veolia Academy for Street Cleaners” have now taken to the streets of London to begin a new career in the recycling and waste industry.

Veolia, in partnership with the Department of Working Pensions (DWP) and Westminster Kingsway College, took candidates through a week-long ‘Academy’ scheme designed to help people struggling to find employment prepare for a career with Veolia’s street cleansing operations.

The seven day course consisted of three days of pre-employment training in areas including customer service, teamwork and health and safety, two days of work experience in the field and a day of interview training. The week concluded with a job interview with Veolia and the genuine prospect of full time, paid employment.

“I’m very happy to have secured a position. The work is good and I like being out and about speaking to people on my regular beat”

From the first group of nine hopefuls, five secured positions within the Veolia Camden team. All five of the recruits had been previously unemployed for anything from 18 months to 14 years.

Speaking about what the opportunity meant to him, James Smith, 48, said: “I was unemployed for eight years before this opportunity came along. I’m dyslexic so I was a bit worried about spelling in the college but there was someone there to help with that and it all went fine. My life was on hold being unemployed, you can’t save and you can’t plan anything. Now it’s worth getting up in the mornings and getting out there.”

Elliot Roche, 27, said: “I was previously a chef and then I started my own gardening business but I struggled to find enough work and had been unemployed for 18 months. I’m very happy to have secured a position. The work is good and I like being out and about speaking to people on my regular beat. I’m keen to take advantage of the training and development the company can offer to help me progress.”

Samantha Bradford, Interim Recruitment Manager for Veolia – “I am hoping that we will be able replicate the success of this programme across our business and change the way that we recruit for these types of roles for the benefit of our management teams and job seekers alike”

Following the successful outcome or the Academy, Veolia hopes to continue working with the DWP and colleges to run this scheme in other areas.

Samantha Bradford, Interim Recruitment Manager for Veolia, commented: “We have suspected for a long time that the traditional recruiting method of CV and interview means that for some our roles we are missing the best candidates. I am hoping that we will be able replicate the success of this programme across our business and change the way that we recruit for these types of roles for the benefit of our management teams and job seekers alike.”

Teresa Davey, Street Cleansing Manager for Veolia in Camden said: “Through the Academy programme, we get to see candidates in action and they get a chance to decide if the job is right for them. We always try to recruit locally and support the communities we operate in and in that respect alone this project has been a great success. I’m really pleased with all five of our new recruits, they are doing brilliantly, and I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making this happen.”

Elena Barrasso,Employer Engagement Manager for DWP in Camden said:  “I’m delighted that the pilot has been such a great success. Programmes like this really work in helping unemployed people back to work and make a huge difference for the individuals and the borough. It’s been a great experience working in partnership with Veolia and Westminster Kingsway College to make this happen and we really appreciate the time and resource that has been put in to help get this off the ground.”

Kate Child, Employability Business Manager for Westminster Kingsway College said: “We work to help get local people into employment. Working with businesses in the way we have done with Veolia helps give people the confidence to succeed and the feedback and connection between our staff and the Veolia team was a huge help. We are very pleased at how successful the project has been.”

The post Veolia Academy For Street Cleaners Delivers Jobs For London appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

Veolia has been awarded the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HMRC) contract by Hampshire County Council. 

Worth over £70m, the contract aims to enhance recycling through Hampshire County Council’s and Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils’ HWRC sites. It also aims to help the County Council meet its savings targets in light of reduced Government funding.

Under the new fourteen year and nine month contract, Veolia will manage the 250,000 tonnes of materials arising each year, and will help the councils to reduce costs with a service that is flexible and can respond to future changes. The service is due to commence in April 2016.

“Hampshire already has one of the highest landfill diversion rates in the country and this agreement will now further boost local sustainability, preserve resources and limit future carbon emissions”

Following the earlier public consultation, and the subsequent recommendations forming part of the Tender by the Council, charges will be introduced for residents bringing materials not classed as household waste – such as soil, rubble, plasterboard and asbestos.

An extra service for small and medium size businesses to deposit their trade waste will also be introduced. Veolia will manage this process for the councils and will segregate these trade recyclables helping to reduce whole life contract cost.

Veolia will aim to improve existing recycling rates for many of the material streams, and there will also be a drive to further improve the image of the HWRCs and re-use shops. All staff are planned to transfer to Veolia and become part of the company’s already established team within Hampshire.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice President, Veolia UK and Ireland, commented: “Through our partnership with Hampshire County Council we will be able to increase recycling across the County, and at the same time help control costs for residents. Hampshire already has one of the highest landfill diversion rates in the country and this agreement will now further boost local sustainability, preserve resources and limit future carbon emissions”.

Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at Hampshire County Council said: “Hampshire’s HWRC service is well regarded and well used by Hampshire’s residents.  We are committed to providing quality and financially sustainable services for Hampshire’s residents and look forward to working with Veolia to maximise the effectiveness of our HWRC service.”

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St Albans City and District Council has awarded an eight-year contract for recycling, waste and street cleansing to resource management leader Veolia. 


Working in partnership with the Council, Veolia is targeting an increase in the recycling rate from last year’s 52.3% to 60% after two years.

The £40 million contract will see the introduction of weekly rather than fortnightly collections of food waste, which will be transformed into garden compost.

The contract begins on Monday 13 June and includes the collection of recycling, refuse and organic waste, street cleansing, fly tip removal and emptying litter bins.

Fuel conservation will be improved by state of the art in-cab technology and a revamped IT system will enhance customer service.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice-President, Veolia UK and Ireland said: “This new contract further increases our presence in Hertfordshire and will deliver cost savings to the Council as well as environmental benefits.

“By introducing the increased frequency food waste service, using the latest technology and working closely with residents, we are well placed to achieve the new recycling targets and replenish more precious resources.”

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Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) unanimously gave the go-ahead in principle on Monday to the Hoddesdon plant, which would be used for all of the county’s waste.

The proposals arose after a similar application in Hatfield was approved by HCC, but subsequently thrown out last year by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

“The proposed site will divert 97% of waste away from landfill, which is good news and at the same time will substantially reduce the emissions associated with our existing waste transport arrangements”

Following a legal challenge, the High Court quashed the decision of the Secretary of State. The application was returned to the Secretary of State who again refused permission. In August 2015 Veolia decided not to pursue any further legal proceedings with respect the New Barnfield site.

In January Veolia submitted its revised plan to develop a new “high efficiency Energy Recovery Facility”. Designed to treat all of Hertfordshire’s residual local authority collected waste, the facility would generate low carbon electricity.

Hertfordshire’s cabinet member for community safety and waste management, Councillor Richard Thake, said: “The proposed site will divert 97% of waste away from landfill, which is good news and at the same time will substantially reduce the emissions associated with our existing waste transport arrangements.

“So as well as providing good value for money for Hertfordshire tax payers, it’s a better environmental choice.

“In an ideal world all waste would be reused or recycled and Hertfordshire’s residents are doing a great job but with current recycling rates around 50 per cent and significant housing growth expected in the county we have to plan for an on-going, value for money and suitable way of disposing of the residual waste we continue to produce.”

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The post Hertfordshire Accepts Veolia’s Revised EFW Proposals appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

Birmingham City Council will consider ending its weekly collection of residual waste, under potential plans for its waste service following the completion of its contract with Veolia.

Birmingham residents, community groups and businesses will be asked for their views on the future of Birmingham’s recycling and waste disposal.

The consultation will look at how the City Council will shape its new waste service, following the end of the city’s major waste disposal contract with operator Veolia in 2019.

One of the items up for debate will be whether the council chooses to end its weekly collection of residual waste in order to save money, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The City Council is also looking into making its next contract “as short as possible” so it’s able to adapt services and facilities to suit the current need and to take advantage of changes in technology and behaviour. International environmental consultants Ricardo have been hired to look at this in detail.

Another item to be looked at will be whether the City Council could offer its Tyseley Incinerator and clinical waste facilities to companies at a profit.

Food Waste

In January this year, protestors urged Birmingham City Council to introduce a food waste recycling service to boost the city’s lagging recycling rates.

Campaigners for Birmingham Friends of the Earth (BFoE) handed in its Waste Isn’t Rubbish petition in kitchen caddies to Lisa Trickett, Council Cabinet Member for Sustainability, outside the Birmingham City Council House in Victoria Square.

The Waste Isn’t Rubbish campaign is calling on Birmingham City Council to implement a greener waste system for the city that makes best use of the city’s resources locally.

Despite this, the City Council’s Acting Strategic Director for Place, Jacqui Kennedy, said that there is increasing evidence that food waste collections could be a waste of money. She said that in other council areas residents stopped wasting so much food once they saw how much they were throwing away, which removed the need for the collection.

Last year the Birmingham City Council achieved a 26% recycling rate, missing its target of 35%.

Reports emerged last year that it intended to slash its target by 5%. These, however, were refuted, and put down to a clerical error.

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Residents across Shropshire will be able to recycle cardboard at the kerbside from this autumn as part of the roll-out of a new recycling collection.

The new service is being implemented by Veolia and will be introduced across the Shropshire Council area in phases from October 2016, starting in the Shrewsbury area.

The main changes under the new service will see residents provided with a new blue bag for paper and cardboard. Plastics, cans and glass will also no longer need to be separated and can be mixed together in recycling boxes.

Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, said: “This is great news for all of us. For a long time people have told us that they want to recycle cardboard at the kerbside, and for a long time we’ve been working hard to make this happen.

Steve Mitchell, director for Veolia – “The new system is an easier way to recycle. People will soon receive a letter and more information about the service, and we ask them not to put any cardboard out until the new service starts in their area”

“Removal of cardboard from garden waste collections was forced on Shropshire Council and Veolia by a change to national composting standards in November 2011. This meant that composters would no longer accept cardboard collected in the garden waste bin. Since these changes, Shropshire Council and Veolia have been exploring ways to collect cardboard for recycling from the kerbside in the future, and I’m really pleased that we’ll now be able to do so as part of this new service.”

Steve Mitchell, director for Veolia, said: “The new system is an easier way to recycle. People will soon receive a letter and more information about the service, and we ask them not to put any cardboard out until the new service starts in their area.

“Residents in Shropshire already recycle 52% of their household waste, and together with the new system, we hope we can recycle even more.”

In addition to these changes, residents in the former Shrewsbury & Atcham area will soon be able to recycle food waste by mixing it in with their garden waste. They will be receiving a food caddy during April 2016 and their food waste service starts in May.

Residents in the former North Shropshire and South Shropshire districts have been able to recycle food waste with their garden waste for several years. North Shropshire residents already use kitchen caddies, and residents in South Shropshire will be receiving a caddy for the first time later this month.

Residents in the former Bridgnorth and Oswestry districts will receive the new food waste collection service once a new high-tech in-vessel composting facility designed to serve the area is built. It is expected that a planning application will be submitted this year with a view to the facility becoming operational in 2018.

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The post Shropshire Announces Improved Kerbside Recycling appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

Leeds’ new recycling and energy recovery facility has been completed and handed over to the council three months earlier than previously reported.

Deliveries of household waste to the facility started last year and all of Leeds’ residual waste is now being treated at the Cross Green building, operated by Veolia.

Current estimates show that the facility will process around 4m tonnes of waste over the life of the 25 year contract.

It’s anticipated that every year around 16,000 tonnes of recyclable material from Leeds household black bin waste will be removed by specialist machinery for recycling.

Only the remaining waste, which would cost the council millions in landfill taxes, is being burned to generate and recover energy, enough to power 20,000 homes through the National Grid.

“We wanted to ensure that we had a sustainable solution for Leeds’ waste that would limit our impact on the environment while offering us financial savings. The recycling and energy recovery facility gives us just that.”

Additional equipment has been installed so hot water created as part of the process can be piped to a future district heating network.

Ash from the incineration process is being turned into aggregate to be used in roads and with plans to recycle other outputs from the facility, nearly everything the facility makes or generates will be used as a resource.

Contractual changes and a capital investment from the council also mean additional savings will be made, totalling £7m a year, according to Leeds City Council.

Councillor Mark Dobson, Leeds City Council’s executive member for environmental protection and community safety, said: “It’s testament to the sheer hard graft of everyone involved that the new facility is not only up and running, but operational changes for bin collections have been seamless with limited impact on residents.

“We wanted to ensure that we had a sustainable solution for Leeds’ waste that would limit our impact on the environment while offering us financial savings. The recycling and energy recovery facility gives us just that.”

Paul Fowler, general manager, Veolia Environmental Services, said: “The RERF is a major change, allowing the council to move away from a reliance on landfill. As well as working in partnership with the council and managing the facility throughout its operational life, Veolia look forward both to the continued liaison with the local community and any future opportunities to contribute to further environmental improvements.”

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The post Leeds Energy Recovery Plant Achieves Early Completion appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

Veolia, the waste contractor for Shropshire Council, has this week submitted a planning application for a change of use for an empty warehouse space within the Faraday Drive Household Recycling Centre.

The space, which belongs to Shropshire Council, has been empty for the last few years. Veolia are requesting that they use it to develop a new innovative recycling process.

The new initiative is to dismantle flat screen TVs and monitors, which have become a larger part of the waste stream as people’s buying habits change.

Steve Mitchell, Director for Veolia – “If our planning application is successful, this will be a major boost for employment in the local area and we hope to be able to encourage local people to come and work with us, on this innovative new project. This is a real opportunity to get involved in an exciting new project.”

The project is a result of a Veolia run scheme where members of staff have an opportunity to pitch projects to the Chief Executive and request funding for a start-up business.

This TV recycling project was successful in attracting internal funding because it fits with the Company’s strategy of capturing resources and value from waste.

Flat screen TVs and monitors contain all sorts of recyclable materials that, when separated, can be recycled into new products and various technologies will be utilised in the process to maximise the amount of recycling and minimise waste.

A number of sites were considered by Veolia across the UK but Bridgnorth came out on top as the preferred site.

The new operation will provide jobs for up to 50 people on a two shift system. If planning is approved, a recruitment day to find members of staff to join Veolia will take place.

At a recent briefing with local councillors, Steve Mitchell, Director for Veolia said: “If our planning application is successful, this will be a major boost for employment in the local area and we hope to be able to encourage local people to come and work with us, on this innovative new project. This is a real opportunity to get involved in an exciting new project.”

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Veolia and The Landscape Group (TLG) have emerged from the South London Waste Partnership’s 18-month competitive tender procurement process as the two recommended “Preferred Bidders” to deliver a range of environmental services on behalf of Sutton, Merton, Croydon and Kingston councils.

Veolia is bidding to provide a harmonised waste collection, street cleaning and winter gritting service across the four boroughs. TLG is seeking to win a contract for parks, cemeteries and grounds maintenance services in Merton and Sutton.

The eight-year contracts are forecast to save the four boroughs well in excess of the £30m savings target that was set at the start of the procurement process.

Elected members of the Partnership’s Joint Waste Committee will meet on 7 June 2016 to review the outcome of the procurement process.

“We identified that by working together and harmonising services across the region we could all make significant savings and deliver high quality services that local people value”

They will be asked to endorse the Preferred Bidder recommendations before they are put before relevant committees on each of the four Partner boroughs.  The borough committees will consider the recommendations at meetings during June and July, with the final one being Croydon Council’s Cabinet Committee on 11 July 2016.

Preferred Bidder status will only be confirmed if all the relevant committees agree the recommendations.  At that point the procurement process would enter a four-month “Fine Tuning” stage, where finer details of the bidders’ proposed solutions are agreed.

Councillor Stuart Collins, chair of the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee, said: “The four boroughs will spend a combined £38m on delivering waste collection, street cleaning, winter gritting, parks and cemeteries maintenance services this year.  We identified that by working together and harmonising services across the region we could all make significant savings and deliver high quality services that local people value.

“A robust procurement process started in early 2015 using a ‘competitive dialogue’ method of engaging with bidders, to ensure the very best deal for local people. Today the council officers involved in running that procurement have announced the two bidders that have emerged from the process as their recommended ‘Preferred Bidders’. I look forward to reviewing the way the procurement has been run, and deciding whether or not to endorse the outcome of the process, when I meet with my fellow Committee Members on 7 June.”

Collection Service

The four-borough collection service being proposed by Veolia would mirror the service they already operate in Kingston and Croydon, along with other London boroughs such as Bromley and Brent.

This would include a separate weekly collection of food waste, an alternate weekly collection of dry recycling (paper and card one week; tins, plastics and glass the next) and a fortnightly collection of residual (non-recyclable) waste.

Introducing these changes would not only save money. They would also reduce waste production and increase recycling rates across the Partnership region, helping the four boroughs maintain their positions as some of the best recycling boroughs in London. Residents in all boroughs would receive ample notice of any changes to their waste collection services before they are implemented.

By operating across two boroughs, TLG would maximise efficiencies and use of infrastructure and machinery. A new online booking and payment facility for sports pitches would be introduced and ‘Friends of Parks’ groups could play a key role in monitoring the performance of the contractor.

Councillor Collins said: “When you look at the very substantial savings we can achieve – many tens of millions of pounds over the next eight years – set against the incredibly difficult decisions we are all having to make about which services to reduce or stop providing all together, I believe that most local people will agree that making these changes is the right thing to do.  Local residents can rest assured that they will receive environmental services of the very highest quality, but at a greatly reduced cost to the public purse.”

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Veolia has now become the first operator in the UK to achieve the high efficiency, R1, standard for all of its energy recovery facilities (ERF), the company has announced.

By generating energy from municipal waste the plants have demonstrated a high level of energy efficiency according to EU regulations, and have increased the UK’s landfill diversion rates.

Designed to improve energy recovery performance the R1 formula is set out in the EU Waste Framework Directive and is a performance indicator for the level of energy recovered from waste.

“By generating green electricity and heat from resources such as non-recyclable residual waste we improve resource efficiency, reduce landfill and achieve greater sustainability as part of the circular economy”

The assessment factors include the energy produced by the plant, and the energy contained in the waste, and effectively places it higher up the waste hierarchy.

Veolia currently operates ten plants that take around 2m tonnes of non-recyclable waste and transforms this into electricity for over 300,000 homes. This combined generating capacity of 240MWe takes pressure off the stretched UK electrical grid and effectively avoids using fossil fuels for generation.

Some of these facilities also produce heat for communities through district heating networks, by using combined heat and power technology.

As an estimated 20% of the nation’s carbon emissions are generated by domestic heating, due to a low standard of energy efficiency, using this type of non – fossil fuel heating lowers carbon emissions and can help reduce cost, and fuel poverty, in vulnerable groups.

Richard Kirkman, Technical Director, Veolia UK and Ireland commented: “Access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy has a direct impact on modern life, and is linked to fuel poverty and carbon emissions. To virtually eliminate wastes and produce energy in its place is a win-win situation.

“By generating green electricity and heat from resources such as non-recyclable residual waste we improve resource efficiency, reduce landfill and achieve greater sustainability as part of the circular economy.”

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Work with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) continues to promote local biodiversity across Pitsea Landfill site in Essex, Veolia has announced.

Equivalent in size to approximately 450 international football pitches, the Pitsea Landfill site in Basildon, Essex covers 280 hectares. The active landfill accepts 800,000 tonnes of solid, non-hazardous, waste from the local area each year, but it’s also home to a thriving eco-system.

The unlikely nature reserve is home to foxes, badgers, birds, bees and even protected adders. The site is celebrating the protection of local wildlife through sustaining their habitats further with its “landfill facelift”.

Work continues across the Pitsea landfill site to improve its biodiversity with numerous enhancements being undertaken to protect the area’s precious ecology, such as:

• A hibernacula has been constructed around the site using piles of rubble, rocks, logs and earth banks, so wildlife inhabitants such as hedgehogs, newts and beetles can seek refuge during fluctuating weather conditions
• Seeding has been spread across a 3.5 hectare plot to provide food for Turtle Doves. This is primarily to encourage nesting during breeding seasons owing to the rapid and sustained population declines of the species across the UK in recent years – the Turtle Dove is now included on the Red List of conservation concern¹
• A badger hide area, including wetlands, is nearing completion – this will create a rich habitat with an abundance of food and shelter for badgers away from busy roads, since 50,000 badgers are killed on our roads every year²
• Bee orchids have been trans-located to Pitsea – and now there are several bee hives managed by the Southend Beekeepers Association onsite. This promotes and furthers the craft of beekeeping owing to the dramatic decline in bee populations nationwide and the extinction of two bee species in the UK³
• To help protect endangered adders areas onsite have been given a concrete granular finish which provides an ideal habitat – additionally concreate slabs have been laid flat to act as basking mats and foliage has been planted around them to attract their food source
• Additionally, 600 trees have been planted across the entire Pitsea site to provide food and shelter for animals large and small, while offsetting CO₂

The efforts to transform what is an active landfill site into a nature reserve, to look after the local habitats and protect disappearing species from the local area, is an ongoing success.

Once the landfill reaches the extent of its planning permit, Veolia is also responsible for undertaking its restoration and providing a programme, which will run for 60 years. It will then be leased over the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to increase the biodiversity in conjunction with the nature reserve from the neighbouring site.

Natalie Holt, Senior Sites Manager at the RSPB South Essex reserves – “Many people would think that a landfill couldn’t provide homes for nature, but Pitsea proves this wrong. We work closely with our neighbours to ensure that restored areas and areas currently in restoration are providing excellent conditions for native wildlife”

Keith McGurk, Regional Director – East at Veolia UK comments: “It’s truly astonishing to think that as well as housing such a thriving eco-system, Pitsea operates one of the largest gas collection schemes in the UK.

“Under the surface lays the vast Pitsea eco-hub, consisting of more than 40,000 meters of pipework connecting over 800 active gas collection wells. This enables us to capture the landfill gas for electricity generation and produce in the region of 13,000kW every hour for export in to the National Grid. This is equivalent to powering more than 27,000 homes!

“This green fuel source offsets the use of environmentally damaging fuels, by utilising the decomposition of organic material already in place at the landfill, all the while supporting the local wildlife, and this is something we’re exceptionally proud of.”

Natalie Holt, Senior Sites Manager at the RSPB South Essex reserves, said: “Many people would think that a landfill couldn’t provide homes for nature, but Pitsea proves this wrong. We work closely with our neighbours to ensure that restored areas and areas currently in restoration are providing excellent conditions for native wildlife.

“I am always amazed to see so many wildflower-rich areas in the summer months, and cameras we have installed are capturing some really interesting night-time images. We are excited to be starting to run events on the site to be able to show people wildlife they might not normally be able to see.”

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The post Veolia Works With RSPB To Promote Landfill Biodiversity appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.

London has taken a further step forwards in the drive to be a sustainable city with the adoption of Veolia’s latest combined heat and power (CHP) technology in the billion pound new Docklands development at Royal Wharf.

Designed to supply low carbon energy this latest application will power 20,000 Londoners in five years and contribute to reducing London’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2025.

Part of the giant Royal Docks vision, Royal Wharf is the biggest new Docklands neighbourhood since Canary Wharf was built and the development will house a new community in 3,385 modern homes and businesses.

“As one of the biggest cities in the world it is important for London to set an example to others by offering its residents sustainable low carbon energy to power and heat their homes”

The energy needs of the people on the 40 acre site, with an energy centre from MEP Contractor, Cilantro Engineering, will be supplied by a Veolia CHP unit that drives a modern district heating network.

By delivering cost effective energy it will help meet London’s emission’s targets, take pressure off the stretched UK electricity grid, and reduce carbon emissions by 1,800 tonnes each year – equivalent to removing 1,400 cars from the road.

The use of this latest generation of CHP technology effectively supports key London programmes like home energy efficiency, and decentralised energy, through effective capture and use of the heat generated as part of the electricity generation process.

CHP technology is more than twice as energy efficient as separate grid supplies which lowers the use of resources, and ensures that reliable electricity, heating and hot water are delivered locally and cost effectively for residents.

As a further measure to reduce London’s atmospheric emissions the new 1MWe CHP uses innovative technology, such as Selective Catalytic Reduction, which further reduces NOx emissions to 95mg/nm³. Due to start operating in August 2016 the unit has a class leading 43.5% electrical efficiency.

Pat Gilroy, Veolia’s COO Industrial Customers UK, said: “As one of the biggest cities in the world it is important for London to set an example to others by offering its residents sustainable low carbon energy to power and heat their homes. Royal Wharf has put its stake in the ground to other new developments about what can be achieved and we hope others will follow.”

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Veolia has joined the New Plastics Economy initiative, which is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, as a core partner.

The New Plastics Economy is an ambitious, three-year initiative to build momentum towards a plastics system that works.

Applying the principles of the circular economy, the initiative brings together leading companies, cities, philanthropists, policymakers, academics, students, NGOs, and citizens to rethink and re-design the future of plastics, starting with packaging.

The initiative builds on the recommendations of the report “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics” issued by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Economic Forum, at the Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2016.

 Dame Ellen MacArthur – “This new initiative is set up for three years, reflecting the scale of the challenge to mobilise over time a fundamental, system wide transformation”

The report provided the first comprehensive view of the global plastic packaging value chain, highlighting its contributions but also revealing significant drawbacks. With material value loss running at $80-

120 billion a year in the industry and negative environmental externalities costing at least $40 billion a year – a figure greater than the plastic packaging industry’s profit pool – the opportunity for the global economy of transforming the system is clear.

The New Plastics Economy initiative takes a concrete first step towards the design of a plastics system grounded in circular economy principles.

“This new initiative is set up for three years, reflecting the scale of the challenge to mobilise over time a fundamental, system wide transformation. It seeks to create a shared sense of direction, to spark a new wave of innovation and to move the plastics value chain – starting with plastic packaging – into a positive spiral of value capture, stronger economics, and better environmental outcomes. We are delighted to have Veolia, with its resource management expertise, join as a Core Partner of the initiative,” said Dame Ellen MacArthur.

As a Core Partner, Veolia will contribute to shaping the work programme and selecting the projects and pilots, through participation in the advisory board. Veolia looks forward to working with this unique group of stakeholders from across the global plastics value chain on select workstreams and innovation projects.

“It will take a concerted effort involving various stakeholders to make the systemic changes needed to transition to a circular economy”, ” said Antoine Frérot, Chairman and CEO of Veolia. This is especially true for plastics.

Veolia believes that the New Plastics Economy initiative provides an excellent platform for this collaboration”.

With an explicitly systemic and collaborative approach, the New Plastics Economy initiative focuses on five interlinked and mutually reinforcing building blocks:

• Dialogue mechanism – Bringing together for the first time a group of leading companies and cities across the global value chain to complete collaborative demonstration projects and inform the other building blocks
• Global Plastics Protocol – Re-thinking plastic packaging materials, formats and after-use systems and standards to provide a common target state to innovate towards, , to overcome existing fragmentation and enable the creation of effective markets
• Innovation moon-shots – Mobilising targeted innovations that can scale across the system, to re-define what’s possible and create the conditions for a new economy
• Evidence base – Closing critical knowledge gaps by building an economic and scientific evidence base from which to draw insights
• Outreach – Engaging a broad set of stakeholders, including citizens, educators, students, policymakers, NGOs, and industry associations in the redesign of a better system.

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