Could Staff Shortages Spark Waste Innovation?

Brexit-related staff shortages are forcing the cancellation of waste collections up and down the country, but they could also be the catalyst for more innovative thinking about waste processing, according to our Chief Strategic Development Officer, Dr Stephen Wise.

“For businesses generating waste that must be collected and removed from site, particularly waste that includes organic matter, dramatically reduced collections will become untenable quickly, potentially posing serious risk to public health and even forcing some businesses to close as waste mounts up.

“Doing more to process waste on site is an optimum solution. By removing the organic fraction of mixed residual waste on-site with biotechnology, waste becomes stable – no longer impacting public health – and its mass and volume are reduced by 50% and up to 80% respectively, which makes it easier to store (and for longer) and fewer waste collections are required. While this can help to tackle staff shortages quickly, be they due to Covid or a lack of HGV drivers, it also supports longer term ESG goals as CO2 is reduced with fewer waste lorries on the road and less organic waste going to landfill or EfW.

“Almost two years in, the pandemic continues to remind us of the need to be agile. The UK’s waste industry is no exception. Nationwide staff shortages present real operational challenges, but they are also the stimulus to build more resilience, innovation and sustainability into the UK’s waste infrastructure.”

For more information about our revolutionary aerobic waste treatment technology, contact us.