Food & Wet Waste
A key objective of the EU 6th Environment Action Programme is to achieve a significant overall reduction in the volume of waste generated through waste prevention initiatives, better resource efficiency and a shift towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns. In 2007/08 Ireland generated 3.7 million tonnes of waste and for the same period in the United Kingdom 25.3 million tonnes were generated.
With increasing pressure from the European Union to meet recycling and recovery targets, both the Irish and UK's governments’ policy on waste management is changing to meet these pressures, with emphasis upon the management of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). In particular, the EU landfill directive requires reductions in the rate of biodegradable waste going to landfill to 35% by 2016. About 12.9 million tonnes of municipal waste (45 per cent of the total) had some value recovered by recycling, composting or energy recovery.
Composting and anaerobic digestion are two systems that are globally recognised as key solutions to reduces the amount of BMW. Composting is the biodegradation of organic waste by micro-organisms. Commercial scale composting operations actively control the composting conditions, usually in a closed environment such as In-Vessel Composting. Composting can be used to recycle organic waste and manures into an end product, that can be returned back to the soil, permitting the replacement of vital organic matter, nutrients, and particularly bacteria that are essential to plant nutrition.
Anaerobic digestion is a system by which micro-organisms break down organic waste in the absence of oxygen. As part of an integrated waste management system, anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of landfill gas into the atmosphere.
Wet waste (refuse) is dirty waste that is not accepted in the dry waste bag. It includes food waste, contaminated paper and tissue, containers with food scraps, diapers and used personal hygiene items, etc.
At Manvik we are at the forefront of waste management initiatives. We understand the importance of the EU drive to reduce the volume of waste in the region and we have a range of solutions aimed at the collection and recycling of wet waste.
Vehicles used in the collection of wet waste:
Dennis Eagle Phoenix 2
Heil Euro Half Pack
Geesink Norba RL200/RL300
Geesink Norba GPM Mini
Terberg Bio-Waste Collection Vehicle
Terberg Aluminium Bodied Utility Vehicle