In every issue a top spokesperson from within the industry or a Local Authority voices his opinion on issues that concern their field of work. LAPV invited Roger Taylor from Volvo Construction to comment on the infrastructure at waste processing facilities.

“Where do you want glass?” I asked the CA site operative, looking down at the plastic storage box I was holding. (Usually we dispose of our glass on a trip to the nearest supermarket with recycling facilities a couple of miles from our home.)

“In the general waste,” said the man in the yellow high viz jacket. No! I though, that can't be right. Our unwanted cardboard boxes had been dropped in the paper and card skip, the bits of metal into the metals only container, the scrap wood we had into the wood skip.

He must have misunderstood me, or maybe he was directing one of the other dozen or so people busily fetching and carrying all manner of unwanted items from car to waste skips. I had tackled the long-promised clear out of the garage and decided to deliver the efforts of our recycling to our nearest CA site, around 4 miles across the city from our home.

I had another go. “Glass mate,” I asked. “In the general waste,” he replied abruptly, nodding in the direction of the walkway between two skips on the split level site and big sign saying…'GENERAL WASTE ONLY.' I obeyed the attendant and left the site.

Driving along the approach road passed the line of queuing vehicles, I left with an understanding why similar experiences can discourage householders from making the effort to recycle.

But what most of the general public do not see is the huge infrastructure that's behind the massive amount of waste that we all produce. Through the years I have been recommending mobile equipment solutions and have visited a diversity of waste disposal and recycling applications. These experiences are invaluable in my role at Volvo Construction Equipment Ltd as the newly-appointed Specialist Manager for Waste and Recycling.

Understanding the demands of the industry is vital. Providing the right machine specification and attachment combination is an essential requirement for all waste and recycling operations. At Volvo Construction Equipment we already have a comprehensive range dedicated for the waste and recycling industry along side the highly-respected standard machine line-up, with further expansion just round the corner.

This includes a portfolio of articulated haulers specially adapted to carry ISO containers of waste from railheads to the landfill site; wheeled loaders developed over many years and equipped with tip of the lip buckets to dispatch high sided bulkers swiftly and efficiently from the waste transfer station to the landfill site; and excavators modified to grab and sort high volumes of industrial and domestic refuse for recycling or for landfill or even incineration.

In the case of CA sites, where the public meets the industry, safety, a Volvo core value, is of paramount importance. Wheeled machines specified correctly offer not only the maximum required compaction but the versatility to undertake other duties and can save a huge amount in transport costs.

Many waste transfer operations have run Volvo Equipment successfully for years, where their combination of strength and integrity is critical in this high volume sector of the industry. But providing the right machine is only part of the story; the industry needs optimum levels of support and we are proud of our reputation for offering the best levels of service back-up and maintenance programmes in the industry.

As new legislation continues to influence the waste and recycling scene so too will the increased demand for specialised mobile plant, especially with new guide lines laid out by the EU for the treatment of waste destined for landfill.

And as new technologies come on stream, it is important the plans for new or adapted MRF and waste transfer plants include the consideration for which type and size of mobile plant is to be used at inception. We consider it an important part of the service and we offer our customers involvement at this early stage and are pleased to offer the benefit of our experience and advice.