In September 2024, our Reduce and Recycle Hub Manager, Mary went on a tour of Transport Avenue waste transfer station in Brentford that processes some of the black bin waste and food waste collected in West London. This trip was thanks to Ealing Council’s recycling and rubbish collections team.
At the Hub we are fascinated with how residents rubbish gets processed. It seems that a lot of hard and dirty work goes into making it go to the right place for recycling, so that in West London very little rubbish goes to landfill.
Did you know? Since 14 December 2016, 96% of the non-recycled waste put out by residents in the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond-upon-Thames is being used to generate energy. Whether it’s put out for collection by the local council in black sacks, grey wheeled bins or black wheeled bins your rubbish will no longer head to a hole in the ground, instead most of it will be transported by train to the Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (SERC). The 400,000 tonnes per year capacity plant produces 34 megawatts, or enough electricity to power the equivalent of 50,000 homes. More on Where our Waste goes at West London Waste Authority
What happens at the Waste Transfer station?
At Brentford Waste Transfer site, lorries that collect black bin wheelie bins in Ealing and Food waste trucks drop off what they have collected on doorstep rounds.
The site also processes the waste that is dropped off at Reuse and Recycling sites, such as Greenford and Abbey Road. Plus all the street bin waste, that all gets treated as black bin waste unless its put in a recycling bin.
Food waste collection
The food waste that is taken in the green food bins are dropped off at site. This food waste is taken in lorries to a biodigester, run by BioCollectors at their plant in south London. These lorries are run off the gas produced at the biodigester. At the biodigester, the kitchen waste is mixed to form a porridge-like material. This material is then heated and stirred in a large sealed airless container. This is using anaerobic digestion (similar to composting) and produces gas (used as fuel to power the vehicles) and fertilizer liquid and slurry that is put on land.
How can we help: We can keep our food waste loose, or use biodegradable sacks! However, definitely dont use plastic bags.
Black bin collection
Rubbish trucks unload the waste collected into a compacter that squashes and compacts the rubbish which is then put into a sealed containers. Even with West London having food waste collections, lots still ends up the black bins sadly.
One sealed container can take up to 1 and half lorries per unit, which is about 12 tonnes of waste.
These containers are then loaded on to railway wagons. There is enough room on the railway wagons for 78 full containers – creating a train the length of 26 rail carriages.
The train travels to Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (SERC) on the banks of the river seven in Bristol, where the waste is incinerated. The facility is able to treat 400,000 tonnes of rubbish. From this electricity is produced and per year produces 34 megawatts, or enough electricity to power the equivalent of 50,000 homes. Plus the bottom ash is turned into an aggregate for use in construction projects.
How can we help: Put batteries and small electricals into recycling points. Food waste needs to be separated from black bin waste and into the green food waste bin. Nappies are not recyclable and should be put in the black wheelie bin.
Small Electrical and Batteries
Putting small electricals and batteries into the black wheelie bins results in fires. Batteries that lurk in small electronic items that are discarded in black bins, leach their chemicals and cause fires 🔥in both bin lorries and depots.
So please recycle your batteries at your local supermarkets and shops. Small electricals can be dropped at collection points or Greenford and Abbey road recycling sites.
So next time you are filling your bin think about all the people who have to process it. Help them by reducing and recycling more responsibly.
We can help by putting the right things in the right bins.