Viridor’s Beddington energy from waste plant briefly exceeded limits on carbon monoxide emissions on twelve separate occasions between April and November 2019.
The Beddington EfW processes unrecyclable waste for the councils which make up the South London Waste Partnership
Gas cylinders in the waste stream and changes in the waste composition are seen as the reasons for the exceedances.
Details were revealed at a meeting of the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) joint committee on 4 February.
A document prepared for the meeting notes: “During the period April to November 2019 there were several carbon monoxide exceedances at the ERF [energy recovery facility].
“The ERF resumed normal operating conditions in the minutes after each occurrence and the Environment Agency were notified on each occasion.
“Following investigations into each incident, it is considered most likely that the cause was either a propane gas cylinder (commonly used for barbecues) that had passed through the ERF, or changes in the composition of waste delivered to the facility that naturally occur in residual waste streams.”
The minutes added that if these materials are processed, “they will result in a variable impact on the operational performance of the facility and can cause minor exceedances.”
However, there were no enforcement or suspension notices between April and November 2019 and the SLWP says the facility is operating in accordance with its environmental permit.
In May 2018, Viridor issued an appeal over gas cylinders, and visited a number waste disposal authorities it works with to increase awareness about incorrect disposal (see letsrecycle.com story).
Often, the old canisters contain traces of flammable liquids which can catch fire or even explode while being processed.
Partnership
Between April and November 2019, the SLWP delivered more than 135,000 tonnes of residual waste to Beddington. This represents a 5% reduction in residual waste when compared with the previous year.
Waste is collected under contract from the SLWP from within the boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, Merton and Kingston by Veolia. Material collected by Veolia is treated by Viridor at the Beddington facility.
In January 2020, Viridor’s operations division assumed control of the Beddington facility (see letsrecycle.com story). A time lapse of the facility can be seen below:
Once fully operational it will have the capacity to process 275,000 tonnes of domestic waste a year.
Landfill
Viridor has an annual landfill diversion target of 91.34% for the first operational year of the Beddington facility.
In total, the SLWP sent 9,332 tonnes of waste to landfill and 121,990 tonnes to Beddington between 1 April and 30 November 2019.
This means 93% of the residual waste collected by the SLWP was sent for energy recovery.
The post Cylinders factor in Beddington breaches appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
