Tasmanian Business Reporter
February, 2008 Page: 8
Veolia Environmental Services is not only working to reduce its greenhouse footprint in Australia but that of its customers as well, group general manager Ron Ward said. "Climate change has become the world's most prominent environmental issue," he said. "As a provider of environmental services to industry, government and the broader Tasmanian community, we obviously have a strong commitment to helping address the climate change issue.
"We are doing this through the delivery of innovative services and technologies, both in Tasmania and interstate." Mr Ward said in Tasmania Veolia's resource recovery through recycling was one of the key activities that contributed to reducing the greenhouse footprint. "Veolia has developed a set of capabilities for the reclamation of spent materials from a variety of sources," he said. "This includes electronic equipment, hazardous waste (chemicals, solvents, detergents, paints, resins, inks, adhesives, contaminated soil and oil and fuel filters), fluorescent tubes and bulbs, liquid waste and oil recovery.
"In Tasmania we also land spread organic wastes that assist in keeping carbon in soils, as well as delivering water, minerals and nutrients to improve soils." Mr Ward said in Victoria, Veolia's natural recovery systems were diverting organic waste from landfill which avoided methane which was produced by landfill. "In NSW and Queensland our bioreactor landfills actively extract methane from waste, preventing it from entering the atmosphere, and using it to create renewable electricity," he said.
"And in Sydney, our Earthpower facility processes fruit and vegetable waste to produce renewable electricity and fertiliser. At capacity. the Sydney plant saves more than 200 tonnes of greenhouse gas per day. "We are also planning a windfarm at our Woodlawn site in NSW which will save more than 120,000 tonnes per year of greenhouse gas by replacing coal-fired electricity." Mr Ward said methane - produced by the breakdown of waste in landfill - was a powerful greenhouse gas. "Veolia collects and flares methane from landfill," he said.
"In 2006 we saved almost 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere by flaring methane at our landfills." Mr Ward said in Australia in 2006 Veolia recycled more than 300,000 tonnes of waste. "Burning fossil fuel in our fleet of garbage trucks produces greenhouse gases," he said. "Veolia is trialling alternative fuels, including compressed natural gas and biodiesel, in its truck fleet to reduce the greenhouse impact." Mr Ward said Veolia was keen to work with individual customers and industries to identify ways of working together to implement innovative solutions for greenhouse gas reductions through efficiency measures and improved management of resource and waste.
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