In FMJ's regular monthly column, our team of FM experts answer your
questions about the world of facilities management
SUSTAINABLE
TECHNOLOGY
EXPERT’S VIEW
TIM DURET, DIRECTOR OF
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY,
VEOLIA UK
To counter climate change, the
circular economy now is set to
play a critical role in helping
to cut carbon emissions, as
it typically saves between
30-80 per cent of the carbon
footprint associated with
processing virgin materials. So,
for organisations wanting to
improve their sustainability, cut their carbon footprint,
and enhance their green credentials, turning the
problem of waste into a recycling solution is a
very positive move. So how can recycling be
increased and what technical solutions are
there to help?
Big advances in the UK over the last
two decades have seen recycling rates
increasing from around five per cent
in the late 1990s, to more than 50 per
cent now through technology, policy
and increased awareness. But to really
optimise this, businesses need to have an
integrated system involving every part of
the waste journey, from sustainable product
design, minimising the environmental impact
of their core business activities and supply chains,
and adopting best recycling practice.
Technology is transforming the recycling sector.
Equipment such as solar auto-compacting bins, which send
20 NOVEMBER 2021
notifications to collection
crews when full, will
enable more waste to be
collected more e† iciently.
Single line separation for all
non-domestic producers of
waste will optimise operational
e† iciency and target the
recyclables that are currently
too contaminated to be e† ectively
recycled. Electrified mobile plant and
vehicles, supported by a charging network,
will further transform the way waste is collected.
Equipping them with on-board weighing equipment to
digitally record bin weights at premises will further boost
performance and hand-held devices can provide on-the-go
reporting digital tracking to monitor and auto-allocate tasks
dependent on geographical location and capacity.
Increased automation of recycling plants will mean we
can capture more resources from waste streams and do this
more e† ectively. For example, waste electrical items such as
screens are now disassembled using versions of the robots
used on the assembly line, and these return the metals, LCD
components, plastic and other valuable materials back to
manufacturing processes. Plastic recycling processes can now
treat many dozens of di† erent grades of plastic, and greater
recycling automation can be achieved by doing things as
simple as changing the pigment in black plastic packaging.
Good recycling is about pushing the boundaries. It's already
possible to achieve a 98 per cent recycling rate for obsolete
North Sea oil and gas structures. Even precious metals such
as platinum can be extracted from pharmaceuticals which
are past their use-by date and liquid solvents
can be recovered and transformed into
secondary liquid fuel which is used in the
manufacture of cement.
Recycling is only limited by
imagination. As technology
advances more materials once
thought of as non-recyclable can
be harnessed and brought back
and used in new applications.
To take the next step forward
organisations need to see what
is possible on their site and turn
these ideas into a carbon-reducing
recycling reality.
Veolia is investing to take advantage
of new technology, building more
infrastructure and working with businesses to
develop low carbon solutions that will help them
play their role in achieving the net-zero goal.
FM CLINIC
As COP26 takes place
in Glasgow this month,
the circular economy
is predicted to play a
critical role in helping
to cut carbon emissions.
By recycling existing
materials the highly energyintensive
production of new raw
materials is reduced, accelerating
the movement to net zero carbon
emissions. What new technologies and
processes are available to help meet the radical actions
needed to help meet the challenges ahead?
Tim Duret
ADVICE & OPINION
Recycling is only limited by
imagination. As technology
advances more materials once
thought of as non-recyclable can be
harnessed and brought back and
used in new applications.”
Tim Duret