Veolia joins waste framework for further and higher education sector to support Zero Waste Scotland

The UK’s leading resource management company, Veolia, have been appointed to the Waste Management Services Framework Agreement with APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges) which will enable Scottish Higher and Further Education (HE & FE) bodies easy access to compliant and comprehensive waste services. Through optimised handling, increased recycling and management of complex waste streams, Veolia will help the education sector in Scotland to achieve their net zero targets as recycling typically saves 50-80 percent of the carbon associated with virgin material use.

Designed to assist the Scottish HE & FE sectors to reduce their overall waste volumes and to support initiatives led by Zero Waste Scotland, Veolia will support the sector by avoiding disposal to landfill and moving their waste disposal up the waste hierarchy increasing re-use, recycling and recovery. Key to the services will be understanding and addressing the waste produced, developing sustainable disposal methods and actively reducing carbon footprints. This will help institutions to advance their sustainability through eco-friendly waste management solutions, incorporating circular economy principles.

Services will cover general waste and recyclates and will be available to institutions across Edinburgh, Lothians, Borders, Stirlingshire, Central, West and South of Scotland. The operations will use Veolia’s treatment and collection infrastructure to manage and process the waste including plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, metal, wood, food waste and hazardous wastes from chemical substances and materials. This covers initial collection at the point of production, on-site transfer and consolidation to off-site transportation, treatment and disposal. Compliance and traceability through the complete cycle will be supported by Veolia’s end-to-end cloud-based system which is designed to cover all waste profiles.

All hazardous waste streams will gain the required regulatory documents for pre-acceptance and disposal and will undergo appropriate treatment at Veolia’s specialist facilities where they will be processed according to the highest appropriate level of the waste hierarchy. This will be optimised and centralised at Falkirk and its outbases, to help reduce carbon emissions from transport.

Commenting on this latest agreement, Adam Wylie, Managing Director – Commercial at Veolia UK said: “This new framework agreement further highlights our commitment to the education sector and will help the sector through the complex procurement enabling them to meet legal compliance requirements and demonstrate transparency and value-for-money. By managing and processing the waste from Scottish Higher and Further Education we will advance the circular economy and achieve carbon reductions which contribute to net zero targets. With sustainability as a key focus, we look forward to supporting the education sector in Scotland, and further reducing its environmental impact.”