A group of commercial properties in Bristol has cut to zero the amount of rubbish they send to landfill thanks to an innovative waste management scheme.
The programme has been pioneered by property managers in the Bristol office of Colliers International working closely with waste handling experts Saica Natur.
It looked at practical and cost-effective alternatives to sending packaging and other commercial waste to landfill sites, and identified the New Earth Solutions Mechanical, Biological and Treatment (MBT) plant at Avonmouth as the best solution. Following a successful trial at the Willow Brook Shopping Centre in Bradley Stoke, which saved the equivalent of more than 50 tonnes of rubbish from being sent direct to landfill every year, the wider Bristol scheme is now live and will be used as a template for other offices, industrial units, retail and commercial premises managed by the company across the UK.
Mike Bull from Colliers International’s Investment Property Management said: “In the space of just six months we boosted the rate of waste recycled from 60% to 90% with the remainder being reused or converted into clean, renewable energy.”
The New Earth Solutions plant, which opened in April 2011 on the former Britannia Zinc smelting works, each year receives more than 120,000 tonnes of waste from four local authorities – Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Bath &North East Somerset – as well as a further 40,000 tonnes of commercially-produced.
Anything that can be recycled such as metals and rigid plastics is recovered by hi-tech sorting equipment with the remaining waste either diverted for composting or renewable energy.
The result is that 95% of the material it receives is diverted from landfill, leaving a small proportion of waste such as mattresses and other bulky items which are not suitable for the mechanical sorting process.
The plant’s total capacity could be extended to process more than 200,000 tonnes of waste.
Mr Bull continued: “Although the waste generated by the commercial properties in our portfolio represents just a tiny fraction of the material being processed at the New Earth Solutions plant, it is fantastic to see so much is recycled and so little of it being taken to landfill.
“We recognise that as managing agents of commercial property we have a unique opportunity to be proactive about sustainability – supporting landlords and tenants in taking a practical, open-minded approach to the environment.”
Ian Cresswell from Malmesbury-based Saica Natur added: “We are delighted to be working with Colliers who are blazing a trail in their sector which many will hopefully follow. The work we have done to date with the Bristol office, including the introduction innovative solutions such as New Earth, shows that real progress can be made if the will and focus is there.
“Our focus will now be on looking at the UK portfolio in introducing the most practical and sustainable solutions which deliver against the core target of zero to landfill. The UK infrastructure continues to develop, providing more and more options for Landfill diversion which we will continue to monitor on behalf of Colliers, ensuring that every site benefits from the best possible options available.”
Rachel Surbuts of New Earth Solutions said: “We are determined to assist Colliers International and Saica Natur achieve their goal of diverting commercial waste away from landfill.
“The plant at Avonmouth is not only achieving this goal but also promoting second-chance recycling – recovering metals and plastics that would otherwise have been lost. As society becomes more conscious of the need to conserve our natural resources plants such as Avonmouth will lead the way in sustainable waste management processes – reducing our customer’s carbon footprint and providing a viable and proven alternative to landfill or incineration.”
