Veolia Environmental Services | South Africa | Services

It is a core principle of Veolia Environmental Services to, wherever possible, turn waste into a resource. VES provides the complete range of services for the separation, storage and recycling of wastes generated from industrial, commercial and municipal customers. We aim to preserve valuable resources and extend landfilll capacity by focusing on waste reduction, sorting and the processing and marketing of recyclables. Services include paper,cardboard, plastics, scrap steel (ferrous and non-ferrous), electronic equipment, composting, hydrocarbon & solvent recovery.

Each waste stream that is handled by the company is analysed to identify any potential opportunities for reusing, recycling or recovery (including energy) of the material in alternative processes. Should this not be feasible, we move further down the waste management hierarchy and consider what treatment options are available which will include, biological, physical and chemical processes. Ultimate residue as well as any waste that cannot be processed by means of the above methods will then be disposed of at landfill.

Recycling
General waste can be sorted at point of generation in order to recover recyclables as well as to minimise waste that must be collected and disposed of at landfill. Minimizing the waste at source therefore reduces the cost of transport as well as disposal of the material. A rebate is then paid to the client on the sale of the recyclables..

Land application of organic waste

Recovery
Relatively constant industrial waste products are actively researched to identify possible industries where this waste material can potentially be used as a raw material in another process. Typical examples are the metallurgical, agricultural and energy sectors eg cement kilns. If necessary, and should the economics be viable, Veolia Environmental Services will invest in processes to modify the characteristics (eg sludge dewatering) of the material in order to make it acceptable for reuse.

Waste to Energy
There is significant activity in the field of thermal treatment of waste and in particular using suitable waste products as alternate fuel sources in cement kilns. Once the thermal policy that is currently being formulated by DEAT has been finalised, it is possible that certain high calorific waste streams will be able to be processed through a kiln in order to recover energy and destroy hazardous components in the waste. This method of destruction is higher up the waste hierarchy than landfill and is therefore supported by Veolia. With this method of disposal, there is also the possibility of earning Certified Emission Reductions (CER’s) otherwise known as Carbon Credits.

Composting
Suitable organic waste streams are diverted from landfill to composting facilities. Organic sludge waste can be dewatered on site in order to make it more feasible to be blended into the composting process. This can make a significant environmental contribution as organic waste in landfills consumes large amounts of air space and contributes significantly to Greenhouse Gas Emissions while compost is a highly valuable soil additive.

WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment)
The disposal of waste electronic equipment is becoming an increasingly significant problem as volumes of this type of waste increases. VES will strip the recyclable portion from this scrap and dispose of the hazardous components as required. As discussed under integrated contracts, electronic goods that may contain sensitive information can be destroyed on site prior to stripping to ensure that there is no risk of information being obtained by 3rd parties.

Materials Recycling Facility (MRF)
VES has approximately 250 sorting facilities around the world that recover recyclable materials from waste before being disposed of at landfill or via an energy recovery process. It is a goal of VES to implement this sort of operation in South Africa to further divert waste from landfill. VES is prepared to work with private and municipal partners to achieve this objective.