Increased Efficiency and Reduced Environmental Impact at Waste Pre-Treatment Centre

The National Exhibition Centre, based in Birmingham UK, runs in excess of 200 events and produces 3000 tonnes of waste annually. As a market leader, The NEC is committed to reducing its environmental impact and carbon footprint and has nearly doubled the amount of waste that it sends to be recycled – instead of to landfill – in just two years.

The increase, from 19% in 2008 to over 35% in 2010, has been largely due to the introduction of The NEC’s Waste Pre-Treatment Centre, which allows waste to be weighed, separated and treated prior to being collected from the site by local suppliers to the recycling industry.

In order to track and measure the amount of waste leaving the site, The NEC implemented a robust, reliable weighing solution from Avery Weigh- Tronix. Two rugged H520 floor scales, along with sophisticated E1310 indicators and custom software, simply and easily track the amount of waste arriving at the site.

Previously, waste was collected from locations around the 650-acre site and transported to a compactor, before being sent to landfill. This system meant that tractor drivers had to wait their turn in a queue before being able to drop their load-off and repeat the process.

Reduced downtime, increased efficiency

The new system has enabled The NEC to reduce downtime and implement a more efficient process. Waste is collected from each hall and  transported to the pre-treatment facility in 1280 litre Euro bins where it is weighed and bundled ready to be recycled. The bins are simply dropped at the centre and loaded straight on to the H520 pit mounted platform, which allows optimum traffic flow through the facility. Euro bins are loaded and unloaded quickly and efficiently, reducing waiting time and maximizing resources.

The E1310 indicator displays the weight on a bright graphic display, while also integrating with the NEC’s existing software to provide accurate data analysis. The complete system allows the NEC to charge customers depending on the amount of waste produced.

Reduced Waste to Landfill

Steve Cartmell, IFS Contract Manager – NEC Cleaning and Waste, commented: “Having the facility on site has enabled us to dramatically reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill, whilst also reducing the number of vehicles needed to transport this material and the distance they have to travel.

“We are now able to track and manage waste more effectively and have nearly doubled the  amount of waste recycled since the pre-treatment facility was opened in 2009. The Avery Weigh-Tronix system allows us to ensure that we are meeting our targets and complying with regulations, not to mention enabling us to charge our customers accurately for the amount of waste they produce.”

Financial Saving of £47,600/ $76,300 in 12 months

Over the last twelve months, the Waste Pre-Treatment Centre has weighed nearly 1500 tonnes and diverted 992 tonnes of waste from landfill to be recycled, equating to a financial saving of £47,600, and a carbon saving of 406 tonnes of CO2.

Steve added, “It was vital to the scheme that we invested in the latest weighing technology. Doing so has enabled us to process the waste effectively, so that the maximum amount can be sent from the site in one load, thereby reducing the number of vehicles required to transport the waste.

“The system is extremely durable and reliable, allowing us to accurately track, record and analyse the amount of waste produced on site and ensure that we are working as efficiently as possible. In fact, the treatment centre has recently been awarded an Excellence Award for Sustainable   Initiative of the Year.”