Waste and Recycling - Which way now?

While the global population increases at such an alarming rate, there will never be a shortage of people creating rubbish. But according to Malcolm Bates of Municipal Vehicle Operator magazine*, while the waste and recycling sector is facing some exciting opportunities for growth, those charged with keeping all the vehicles, plant and equipment working reliably in this £Multi-million industry have their work cut out.

Let's hear it for the humble dustcart. While most heavy trucks and almost all light vans you see on the roads will have been pensioned off after something like five years' service, not only is the refuse collection vehicle (to give it its more up-to-date PC moniker) expected to work day-in day-out for up to ten years - it's expected to do so in some of the most hostile environments going. And no, I'm not talking about, Hackney, Islington, or some other inner-city Borough here - I'm talking about working environments full of fine dust, water, oils and would you believe it, the big hydraulic ram seal killer, wet cardboard. Whether we're talking about general household residual waste, various recyclable factions, or trade and industrial waste, you pick an abrasive substance and I'll guarantee it will get thrown in the back of a dustcart.

While I'm sure most householders don't give the matter a moment's thought, it's surprising just how well they work - and for how long - without serious downtime issues. But there are big challenges ahead. First off, while many local authorities in the UK congratulate themselves on achieving a 50% recycling ratio (that is, to not send half the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of refuse collected each year to landfill), in Germany and Scandinavia, that figure is 90%. What's another 40%? The answer is 'massive'.

Sorting, sifting, loading and transporting more complex waste factions without cross-contamination is going to take extra vehicles, mobile plant and machinery and this growth makes the waste and recycling sector one of the most exciting places to be at present - poor economic growth or not. But it's also 'challenging' because nobody wants to pay more in local council taxes. So 'increased efficiency' is a commonly heard political mantra. Increased efficiency? How much more efficient can a machine be expected to be?

Another pressure is increasing delays caused by traffic congestion. Many are suggesting that refuse collection vehicles (and indeed everything else) will probably have to work a double shift - that is work at least sixteen hours out of 24. The availability of hybrid transmissions and 'Lithium-Ion' battery powered compaction systems that enable the main truck diesel engine to be switched off while loading containers now makes this possible. Another trend is to increasingly sort recyclables inside buildings - but this can dramatically increase the operating temperatures of mobile plant and machinery, putting added demands on lubricants and filters. And what about the workers?

Crews, service fitters and indeed fleet managers are all facing major challenges. There are worries about the security and safety of crews out on the streets at all hours - so 'live' CCTV and GPS tracking facility is increasingly part of vehicle specifications. But the big concern is over training. Drivers and crews need to understand the complexities of the latest systems - after all, a new hybrid RCV is the thick end of £220K! Service fitters need to be given access to the latest diagnostic systems, as well as improvements to filters, lubricants and the like. And above all, because the 'age profile' in the waste industry is worryingly high, younger people need to be attracted to the waste and recycling industry to ensure any of the above happens.

So, can 'waste' be sexy? Well, it's certainly expanding, increasingly technical and yes, exciting. Can you settle for that?

*Municipal Vehicle Operator magazine (MVO) is published by the Chartered Institution of Waste Management (www.ciwm.co.uk)