Waste Management Case Study – ESB Carrington Powerstation
The Floorbrite Group were successfully chosen by ESB Carrington Power following a Tender process, to provide services including cleaning, washroom, waste management and removals. Floorbrite provided a tailored waste removal solution that could achieve the company’s sustainability goals by reducing their carbon footprint and achieving zero waste to landfill. Carrington Power Station is a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station, which is located on the site of a former coal-fired power station, close to the villages of Carrington and Partington in the Greater Manchester Area.
Our Waste & Environmental Manager, Trudie Williams, provided a tailored solution to meet company objectives. The assessment included initial site audits and analysis of all waste streams on site. Floorbrite’s aims were to reduce waste removal costs, encourage 100% recycling, achieve zero waste to landfill, and to recover energy from waste.
Solutions implemented include the introduction of an external compost unit for green waste, control systems to reduce production of hazardous waste, implementation of internal feeder waste containers, replacement of skips, introduction of specialised waste receptacles such as confidential waste, coffins for Flo-Tubes, WEEE waste crates and recommendations around placement on site to reduce site risks, amendment to collection frequencies, provision and installation of signage, provision of internal recycling containers, tailored training for all site staff concerning new procedures, procurement and negotiation of all new waste contractors, introduction of new delivery, collection and escort protocol procedures on site, introduction of food caddies in canteens areas which are then collected weekly and sent to an anaerobic digestion plant to produce biogas and bio fertiliser.
Following a thorough chemical analysis of the Sludge based waste produced within the pumping station, we were able to re-classify the EWC Waste Code and divert to land spreading, which ensured further disposal cost savings and provided a sustainable solution. We have increased paper waste removed for shredding and recycling, externally we have increased the segregation of all other waste including wood, metal and hazardous waste, ensuring that each waste stream had a sustainable collection and disposal method. Re-organisation and disposal of previous builders' project waste which was left on site following the initial build project
In achieving zero to landfill, with the fantastic support and effort by all members of the team, since September 2016 to the April 2020, Carrington Power Station ESB diverted 1202.78 tonnes of waste from landfill, saved 20,447 trees from destruction and the equivalent to 14,5521 kg of Co2. With the total of 867.87 ton of waste recovered from the start of the project until April 2020. They have also seen an overall reduction in waste generated by 26%.
Floorbrite's collaboration have reduced skip collections per annum from 104 to 66 and increased recycling to 70% and still increasing.
The local community have benefitted from a reduction in traffic by utilising local disposal stations. Carrington Power Station ESB have benefited from cost saving and will benefit from further investment and savings.
The story does not stop with what Floorbrite have achieved so far. We have inspired Carrington Power Station ESB to look at additional recycling innovations. The project in 2019-20 was introduced to reduce single use plastic milk bottles on site with the introduction of cooling vending, this has removed over 300 large plastic milk containers, per week from site and further reduced the amount of waste considerably.
