Waste Management
Waste at our ports is generated not only by us, but also by ships, tenants and contractors, and if sites are not carefully patrolled, they will also attract fly-tipping. We arrange for the responsible and safe disposal of approximately 50,000 tonnes of general solid waste and approximately 6 million litres of liquid oily waste that is generated by ships visiting the ports each year. Waste management encompasses not just the disposal of garbage or oil, but also dunnage packaging, black water (sewage) and grey water (non-sewage) wastewater. We work with waste contractors, both at local and national levels, to ensure that the facilities provided on the port estates are suitable, accessible and being used effectively by our customers.
Waste regulations are complex and far-reaching, and we work closely with the EA and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) in this area. We also work with waste contractors to minimise rubbish on our port estates. All ports employ local waste operators to maintain good ‘housekeeping’ standards around the estate. Additionally, waste-minimisation measures are being increasingly viewed as something that can be implemented at the ports. For example, the Port of Southampton contributed match-funding to a project designed to highlight the opportunities for waste minimisation in industrial settings and also to identify where one company’s waste might be another company’s valuable resource.
Under new regulations to be introduced by the UK as part of the EU Directive on Port Waste Reception Facilities, nearly all ships travelling to UK ports will have to provide notification in advance of arrival of all the waste they intend to offload. We already provide the waste-management service required by the Directive at all of our ports and we will be working towards implementing the new reporting requirements. During 2004, we are working towards establishing systems:
- An electronic prior notification system for ship generated waste Waste managed
- A system to measure waste generated by our operations and to use this information to set appropriate targets in 2005.
To see the legislation that governs our management of waste in the ports and how we have translated this into environment policy objectives, refer to the Waste Management page in the Legislation section.
Waste management at the ports
Timber - waste from timber handling requires regular collection