Edward Pigg, director, Augean Waste Network, looks at some of the benefits of strategic partnerships in handling hazardous waste.
The Hazardous Waste sector is the most tightly regulated of all the controlled wastes, and has seen significant changes in handling and treatment methodology over the past four years. Since its introduction in 2008, and its many revisions since, the European Waste Framework Directive, is placing a completely new emphasis on the duty of care required by public sector waste management regimes.
The cost of disposal of hazardous waste is increasing annually, not just in terms of financial investment required to adhere to compliance on disposal, but also the costs associated with your reputation in the way hazardous waste is treated. The public sector is under scrutiny to lead the way in best practice and demonstrate a commitment to public safety as well as legislative compliance.
This has all come during an era when public sector organisations are under significant pressure to reduce both waste generation and expenditure, due to cuts in public funding. Therefore, the challenge to the public sector is significant and it is working with strategic partners like Augean that the long term solutions and even benefits of hazardous waste treatment are being discovered.
Frequent reviews and understanding of hazardous waste legislation is the key to achieving targets whilst reducing costs. At Augean there is a team who have experience in managing all types of hazardous waste, and this experience has allowed them to invest in a national network of waste management sites and an infrastructure which really supports the public sector as Pigg explained, “Our approach has always been to use our experience and strength in the hazardous waste sector to develop partnerships with the public and private sector.
“We have a full range of services from mobile chemists who can assess the hazardous waste risks at your site and make recommendations on treatment, transfer and disposal, to specialist sites such as our East Kent facility which provides High Temperature Incineration (HTI) for waste requiring total destruction.
“This range of services through our UK network of sites, means we are working with local authorities, schools, hospitals, laboratories and other departments within the public sector on a daily basis and we can deliver local support with the reassurance from a leading national provider.
“The real benefits of working with Augean comes from facilities like our HTI operation and our extensive on-site laboratory allows us to assess your waste streams utilising state of the art analytical techniques, to determine the optimal methods for processing, to comply with strict environmental standards.”
“Providing the highest levels of secure destruction, our HTI burns your waste at temperatures of up to 1,200°C, ensuring complete combustion. The major environmental benefit from this process is that the heat from incineration is converted into recovered steam, which is returned back to the energy supply chain. This is just one of the innovative ways we are working to ensure hazardous waste can be disposed of economically, and with a net benefit to the environment through green energy production.”
