Biodiversity and Stewardship
Sensitive and appropriate land management on closed and
restored tracts of operational landfill sites as well as other land
assets can create opportunities for long-term habitat creation
and enhancement, providing biodiversity improvements and
social benefits. This is the responsibility of the company‘s
landfill aftercare management team and of unit managers and
support staff.
Notable examples of habitat and species biodiversity at Viridor‘s landfills include: all six species of British reptiles, including rare sand lizards and smooth snakes, on managed and new heathland habitat in Dorset; rare migratory and breeding birds on managed and created wetland habitats at Beddington, South London; and dormice at Odcombe closed landfill in Somerset. Proactive land management continues to create opportunities for partnerships with local and conservation groups such as the RSPB, local wildlife trusts, and Beddington Birding Group.
A significant amount of effort was put into securing the Wildlife Trust‘s Biodiversity Benchmark before the end of the 2009/10 reporting year. However, due to personnel changes and administrative issues within the assessing body, the benchmark has yet to be awarded.
The site based audits were carried out in January 2010. Viridor
received the results of the audits in April 2010. The main
summary indicated that Viridor has shown evident commitment
to biodiversity. Having passed the initial audit there are some
minor non-conformances that need addressing before applying
for the final audit. These non-conformances are being tackled
and an application for the final audit was submitted in May 2010.
The Wildlife Trust has indicated that they are confident that Viridor, having addressed these minor issues, will have a positive outcome in their main assessment. It remains Viridor‘s intention to roll the Benchmark out to further sites in 2010 and beyond.
| STAKEHOLDER LINKS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | 2009-10 |
|---|---|
| Number of sites with liaison committees | 44 |
| Number of sites with site liaison committees as a proportion of the total number of sites where they would be appropriate | 96% |
| STEWARDSHIP | 2009-10 |
|---|---|
| Number of trees planted | 15,873 |
| Length of hedgerows planted | 280m |
| Number of designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by Viridor | 5 |
| Number of local biodiversity action plans | 4 |
| Number of integrated contracts that include waste minimisation | 11 |
| Number of partnerships with local authorities, businesses and voluntary sectors on resource management | 17 |
| Number of partnership projects as a proportion of total sites | 61% |