How canals are being recycled to transport London waste

Once used to transport goods across the country to and from the capital city's traders, recent investment in London's canal network by Transport For London (TFL), British Waterways and waste and recycling specialist Powerday, has seen one stretch of the grand union canal transformed into a main artery for waste transportation in the capital.

Almost 14 years after Powerday first secured the lease for the redevelopment of the four hectares of contaminated brownfield site known as the Old Oak Sidings in Willesden Junction, north-west London, barges laden with waste from construction sites across the capital have been arriving for recycling.

The barges dock at Powerday's specially constructed industrial size wharf, situated on its new purpose-built waste re-handling facility. The construction of the wharf was made possible thanks to a joint funding arrangement with TFL and British Waterways that has allowed Powerday to access the 26-mile lock-free stretch of the Grand Union Canal. Running from Slough to Camden, with access points available at key strategic sites, each barge can transport up to 50 tonnes of construction waste.

Quick unload

Taking just 15 minutes to unload each barge when up to speed, this new green waste transport system will help deliver more than 400,000 tonnes of waste a year to the facility, using up to 25% of its total 1.6 million tonne capacity.

Construction firms already taking advantage of the new canal transportation solution since it opened in September 2007 include Laing O'Rourke, HBG, Carillion, Kier and MPG Dry liners.

As we speak, Allenbuild is using the scheme to transport general construction waste from a development in Harrow Road, with MPG transporting waste plasterboard from a major development in Kings Cross.

At the same time waste is being unloaded from canal barges, Powerday is using a second form of green transport, the UK's rail network, to deliver recycled products to sites all over the UK.

By forming a similar partnership with EWS (English Welsh and Scottish Railways) and WRG (the Waste Recycling group), the company has been able to recommission existing rail siding's to link directly into the main Edinburgh line. It is able to load a full wagon train with recycled material in just under two hours, taking more than 80 trucks off the road for each train.

Commenting on the development of Powerday's green sustainable transport options and the investment in the Old Oak Sidings site, chief executive Mick Crossan says: "As an industry we are all too aware of the pressures we face, with the increases in landfill tax, landfill disposal and transport costs. As a business we aim to offer a sustainable waste handling solution, that can also support the corporate and social responsibility needs of our customers.

"In order to achieve this we have invested more than £18m in the development of our facility, spending £2m alone on our new nine-strong Caterpillar fleet of excavators, wheeloaders and specialist material handlers." He adds that fleet breakdowns are quickly dealt with thanks to an on-site parts container, allowing the busy operation to keep processing waste which arrives 24 hours a day.

The company is currently using ageing barges, only capable of holding 50 tonnes of material.

In order to increase capacity it is seeking funding from TFL and the LDA to contribute to the commissioning of new barges that can take upwards of 120 tonnes per trip.

This investment will also enable Powerday to reduce overall carbon emissions by substantially more than the current levels. A new barge fleet will also enable it to benefit from the reduced maintenance and running costs associated with a transport mode that uses a minimal amount of fuel and offers a useful life of at least 50 years.

Compared to road transport it is easy to see the operational benefits.

Automated recycling centre

These benefits will be particularly apparent when the final major phase of its investment programme is completed in May, with the installation of a fully automated recycling system.

"Designed by Joe Coffey of Turmec Engineering (Ireland) the new system incorporates Caterpillar engine-powered M&J waste reducers that will allow it to increase processing volumes," Crossan explains.

"Once this new system has been installed we will be in a position to recycle 92% of all material that enters the facility. A figure that we aim to increase to 100% by 2010 through further investment in new systems and technology."

The final and probably most important part of the redevelopment has been the formation of the company's on-site Waste Training Academy, which is now recognised as London's regional training centre, allowing it to offer NVQ training levels 1-4.

An added benefit of learning in this environment is the fact that the processes involved in waste management are going on all around the site. The facility also allows the company to offer staff training for customers, a benefit that has been taken up by some of the largest construction firms in the UK.

Crossan concludes: "By developing a facility that can process all of the standard multi-waste streams possible and supply recycled material like soils, fines and crushed concrete back to their original customers, I believe we have created a blueprint for the industry that will make Powerday the waste contractor of choice inside the M25 corridor."