Resource Use
Throughout last year Viridor's renewable power generation capacity was increased to 101MW
Recycling and materials processing continue to play an essential role in increasing resource efficiency. The production of quality materials and products through recycling and reprocessing activities is the key factor to ensuring the long-term viability of recycling. The focus remains within Viridor on a quality-based approach through the recycling operations and the skills and experience within Viridor Resource Management. This is the part of the business responsible for the marketing and sales of recycled products utilising UK and international markets. Its long-term strategy and established partnerships and procedures ensure the reliable and sustainable placement and end-use of products despite recently volatile market conditions. Viridor also continues to support various materials quality protocol initiatives that are being further developed within the industry and in partnership with trade associations and with Government bodies such as WRAP.
Viridor is a major compost producer handling around 277,000 tonnes of organic material during the past year. 179,000 tonnes was processed into compost at Viridor sites. The remaining 98,000 tonnes was forwarded to third party composting sites.
During the year an additional composting facility at Beddington gained certification to PAS100, making a total of five of the seven Viridor segregated green waste composting facilities now certified to PAS100 and with 'Quality Protocol' status for the products. Viridor also operates three in-vessel composting plants, with an additional plant operated by a third party at a Viridor site, all processing organic material (including food waste) for local authority customers. The standards achieved continue to provide a guaranteed quality assurance for the compost which is produced and sold, and this has helped build strong and sustainable end-use applications for all of the Company's compost products. Viridor's 'Revive' branded compost produced from segregated green waste is supplied to demanding end-use markets including horticulture, agriculture, garden centres, landscapers, golf courses and soil blenders.
Energy from Waste, including predominantly landfill gas power generation, continues to be the largest renewable energy source in the UK, accounting for approximately 30% of the UK's current renewable energy, or roughly 1.5% of total UK electricity production. Throughout last year Viridor's renewable power generation capacity from harnessing landfill gas was increased in line with business objectives to 101MW. Construction of the Lakeside EfW plant near Slough, a joint venture with Grundon Waste Management comprising a 410,000 tonnes per annum facility generating up to 37MW of electrical power, is also well-advanced. This will assist local authority customers to meet their landfill diversion targets for residual (non-recyclable) wastes and will improve resource efficiency for these and for private sector clients. Further EfW opportunities are being pursued, incorporating combined heat and power where feasible. Planning consent has been gained for a 3MW EfW/CHP plant in Exeter and permissions are being sought in Cardiff, Oxfordshire, South Devon and East Lothian.
Transport |
|
|---|---|
Fuel used by waste transportation vehicles for road travel (Litres) |
14,000,000 |
Distance travelled by waste transportation vehicles by road (Miles) |
18,000,000 |
Tonnes of waste received by Rail |
155,730 |
After the financial year-end the Viridor Laing consortium achieved financial close on the Greater Manchester waste and renewable energy PFI. This is the largest such project in the UK, managing 1.3 million tonnes of waste and recyclables per year. It will have a total renewable energy generation capacity, including the two phases of the Runcorn EfW/CHP facility and the anaerobic digestion (AD) plants referred to below, of around 130MW.
The Company has also received planning permission for AD facilities located at Beddington, near Croydon, Walpole in Somerset and four in Greater Manchester. These total 331,000 tonnes per annum capacity and will generate up to 10MW of electricity. AD as a technology attracts double Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) under the UK Government's renewable programme.
Throughout the year in-house materials recycling initiatives have been further implemented and an improved procurement policy encouraging the purchase of recycled products in all areas of the business has been introduced.
