Who Manages Our Waste - Viridor

Who manages your waste?

Viridor

Viridor has 2 distinct arms of its business; recycling and resources and energy. The waste they collect is recycled and turned into new products or it’s used to generate energy.

Their main business comes from small to medium enterprises and local authority contracts. They recognise the importance of offering a reliable and affordable service, which is sustainable and which helps them to divert waste away from landfill.

They also aim to lead the way in developing new technologies to produce clean energy.

Their operations

All of the company’s operations are based around recycling and energy recovery, and they use waste treatment plants, materials recycling facilities, composting, and recycling centres, anaerobic digestion, gas extraction, and thermal technologies to help them recover as much energy and raw materials as possible.

Their services

They provide recycling and waste management services to businesses across the UK. They have collection depots in locations such as Bristol, Manchester, London, Glasgow, and Exeter so they can offer local services and minimise the environmental impact of transporting waste.

The company has more than 320 recycling and energy recovery facilities across the UK and they are continuing to invest in new sites.

New facilities

Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre

Glasgow City Council handles 350,000 tonnes of waste every year and around 74% of this waste is sent to landfill. Landfill taxes are increasing, and to come into line with the zero waste ambitions of the Scottish government, the council is making changes so they can further reduce waste, boost recycling rates, and recover more energy from waste.

A new recycling and sustainable waste management facility has opened and it:

• Processes and treat 200,000 tonnes of waste each year
• Diverts 90% of residual waste away from landfill
• Recovers recyclable resources from household waste
• Produces enough energy to heat the equivalent of 8,000 homes
• Saves 90,000 tonnes of CO² every year
• Will save the council £254m over the course of a 25-year contract

The opening of the facility has created 250 new jobs, including 25 apprenticeships. It has also supported local social enterprises and local small-medium businesses.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of everything that the company does. As well as recovering materials and energy, they’re creating job, bringing benefits to their customers, and to society as a whole.

Last year, the company turned more than 2 million tonnes of domestic, industrial, and commercial recyclable waste into new raw materials.

50% of the company’s profits come from recovering recyclable materials and generating heat and power from waste. They are continuing to invest in facilities to improve on this.

Benefits for society

Viridor have created many jobs, both directly with the company, and indirectly through suppliers and by working with contractors. They offer apprenticeships and a foundation degree programme for young people, as well as plenty of opportunities for development among existing staff. They have set targets to have a diverse workforce and actively employ female staff.

They also have a biodiversity programme, and they work with the Wildlife Trust to find alternative uses for the land at their closed landfill sites.