Viridor Waste Management
“Hugh & his team are always happy to respond in a professional and timely manner to our ever-changing requirements for temporary access.”
Keith Perry
Assistant Bio-solid Manager
Viridor Waste Management
Viridor Waste Management is one of the UK's leading waste management companies. Currently operating 25 regional landfill sites, numerous regional recycling facilities, and 189 waste processing sites UK-wide, Viridor provides a full range of waste management services.
Terrafirma Roadways has enjoyed a business relationship with Viridor (formerly Thames Waste Management), for around 6 years. When Terrafirma became the UK distributor of the Dura-Base Composite Mat Systems, Managing Director Hugh Robertson approached Viridor’s Assistant Bio-solids Manager, Keith Perry.
The Bio-solid arm of Viridor handles the transportation of treated bio-solids to farms where the solid waste is spread on fields as fertiliser. Without temporary roadways and hard-standings, the tipper vehicles would be unable to access the land, particularly in unfavourable weather conditions.
Viridor Waste Management has traditionally used aluminium panels for their roadway construction, which involves significant security risks. Aluminium panels are valued at around £1,000 each, and theft is a regular occurrence. Viridor has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of aluminium to unscrupulous thieves. With a scrap value of around £400 per panel, theft of aluminium is organised crime, rather than petty pilfering. Viridor’s liveried trucks are frequently followed from the sewerage plants to the farms, so the thieves can easily identify where to find their next haul.
The cost of guarding the aluminium panels is substantial. Guards are placed at high-risk sites overnight and all weekend. At an hourly rate of between £11 and £13 per guard, finding a solution to the potential security breaches is high on Viridor’s priorities. Because of the risk, theft of aluminium panels is a non-insurable loss, so the revenue cost to Viridor is high.
 With the introduction of plastic Dura-Base mats to some sites, Viridor’s security problem is on its way to being resolved. Despite having no guards on duty at sites where the Dura-Base roadways are in use, there has not been a single loss.
The standard Dura-Base mats are performing well, although Viridor Waste Management has some specific needs. Terrafirma Roadways is working closely with Viridor to have adaptations made to the mat design. This will ensure the mats fully meet Viridor’s requirements.
When Dura-Base mats are needed onsite, Terrafirma is provided with a plan of the required layout, and the date and time for delivery and installation. Once the job is complete, Terrafirma is notified so they can recover the mats and transport them to the next location.
Keith Perry, Viridor’s Assistant Bio-solids Manager, describes the Terrafirma Roadways’ team as being ‘very responsive’. They are always keen to help and can be called on at even short notice. If any issues occur, Hugh Robertson and his team can be relied on to respond quickly and without fuss to resolve the problems.
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