Viridor transforms former London landfill
Viridor is transforming a former South London landfill site into a network of species-rich habitats, as the facility closes its doors to active waste.
The Beddington Farmlands landfill in Sutton is being restored in accordance with a detailed Restoration Management Plan, agreed with the local authority. Habitats such as wet grassland, meadowland and hedges will be developed to support wildlife including lapwings, skylarks, breeding wildfowl and duck populations.
The 120-hectare site has been used by the South London Waste Partnership – made up of the London boroughs of Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton – since the late 1990s. Now these local authorities send their non-recyclable waste to the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility.
Terry Murphy, Viridor’s Landfill Director, said open days being held would show local people the work Viridor plans.
He said: “We are committed to progressive restoration at the Beddington Farmlands, developing a diverse green space for the local community to enjoy in the coming decades.”
The Beddington Farmlands Restoration Roadmap has also been published, which summarises the 150-page technical Restoration Management Plan and Viridor’s planned timetable.
Buckinghamshire EfW sponsors one million bees
Buckinghamshire county council and FCC Environment’s Greatmoor Energy from Waste (EfW) plant are sponsoring one million bees for the county of Buckinghamshire.
The project marks the EfW processing one million tonnes of non-recyclable waste after three years of operation. During that time the plant has received more than 5,000 visitors and over 6,000 children and adults have been engaged through the community outreach programme.
The first bees and hives were welcomed at Greatmoor on 6 September, by Bill Chapple OBE, cabinet member for planning and environment at Buckinghamshire County Council and Steve Brown, operations director GE+ at FCC Environment.
FCC Environment is sponsoring 20 beehives, supporting local beekeeping and providing honey-making equipment for TherapBEE. TherapBEE is a mental health initiative in Buckinghamshire, providing therapeutic sessions for Her Majesties Forces and Emergency Services personnel in partnership with the Mid Buckinghamshire’s Beekeepers Association (MBBKA).
Commenting on the success of the EfW, Cllr Chapple said: “Working with our partner FCC Environment, in three years we’ve been able to set Greatmoor well on track to realising our hopes and expectations for what has been the County Council’s largest ever single investment.”
Norfolk HWRCs equipped with defibrillators
All 20 of Norfolk’s HWRCs have been installed with on-site defibrillators for the first time.
The county council have invested in the equipment in an effort to benefit people using the recycling facilities, but also those living and working nearby.
Dave Newell, operations director at Norse Environmental Waste Services, said: “This is a welcome, additional safety measure which we have been very keen to support. We already have staff in place at all 19 of the recycling centres we operate trained to use the defibrillators which can prove vital in saving someone’s life, should an incident occur.”
The final defibrillator was installed at the Strumpshaw site in the first week of September, the first having been fitted at the Mile Cross HWRC – which is operated by FCC Environment – in April this year.
Steve Longdon, regional director for FCC Environment, which operates the Mile Cross recycling centre, said: “Recycling Centres can be busy places so keeping visitors safe is one of our primary objectives. The addition of the defibrillators to our core equipment will allow us to react promptly when needed and we are delighted to have them onsite.”
Manchester school given cheque for B&M paper recycling work
A Manchester High School has been given a cheque by B&M Waste Services for its work on paper recycling.
Parrs Wood High School received £463 from B&M, who have been working with the comprehensive’s CO2 Team to make the school more sustainable.
Previously there had been no recycling provision at the school, but on-site recycling bins and a secure shredding service have now been introduced. Waste paper is segregated from other recyclables in separate bins, meaning the waste paper can be baled and sold, creating profit for the school.
A portable recycling unit allows the school to collect bulky materials which are passed on to B&M for reuse. The money from their recycling rebate will be funding a new sensory garden area for students.
Amber Greenhalgh, commercial director at B&M Waste, said: “Parrs Wood High School are a fantastic example of outstanding commitment to not only educating children about the importance of sustainable waste strategies, but following through to ensure they practice what they preach in terms of successful waste minimisation and recycling processes across the school.”
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