Emissions data

Ensuring what comes out of the stacks (chimneys) is compliant

An essential part of turning waste into energy is combustion. When waste is combusted (burnt), it produces gases (emissions) which, if left untreated, have the potential to be harmful to the environment and human health. That is why it’s not advisable to burn rubbish in your back garden. It’s also why one third of the Beddington ERF is dedicated to cleaning these gases to ensure that what’s released into the atmosphere (via the two flue stacks, or ‘chimneys’) is safe and will not harm the local environment or the health of local people.

Monitoring emissions

Emissions from the Beddington ERF are monitored every 10 seconds, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We record raw data that is used to create averages. Samples are taken from the gases in the flue stacks. The results are fed back to the ERF control room, so any potential issues are known about immediately and appropriate action can be taken.

Regulation

The emissions from the Beddington ERF are closely monitored by the Environment Agency, who set strict limits (based on ten minute, half hourly and daily averages) for different types of emissions (see below). If any of these limits are breached, Viridor must inform the Environment Agency within 24 hours. Viridor must also submit quarterly emissions monitoring reports to the Environment Agency. In the event of issues or problems, the Environment Agency has a range of powers at its disposal, up to and including revoking a facility’s Environmental Permit and prevent it from operating.

The Beddington ERF has been designed to operate at the very highest international standards and under normal operating conditions, emissions are well below the limits set by the Environment Agency.

Providing local people with reassurance

Viridor and the South London Waste Partnership recognise that the safety of the facility is a very important issue for people who live in Beddington and the surrounding areas.

To provide reassurance that the facility is safe and does not pose a threat to human health or the local environment, Viridor makes emissions monitoring reports available for anyone to view twice per month. These reports can be downloaded (in pdf format) from the following link: Emissions monitoring reports from the Beddington ERF

What emissions are monitored?

The following emissions are monitored on a continuous basis at the Beddington ERF as they are all a product of the combustion process:

• Dust (Particulates) - Particulate Matter is generally categorised on the basis of the size of the particles. It is made up of a wide range of materials and can arise from a variety of sources. Particulate Matter derives from both human-made and natural sources, such as sea spray, Saharan dust and volcanic eruptions. In the UK one of the biggest human-made sources of particulate matter is transport.
• Total Organic Carbon - Total Organic Carbon is part of a group of liquids and gases often called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many industrial processes emit VOCs including printing, surface coating and painting, however, households and road transport also contribute a substantial fraction.
• Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) - At room temperature, Hydrogen Chloride exists as either a colourless or slightly yellow gas. The main source of Hydrogen Chloride is old coal burning power stations.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO) - Carbon Monoxide is formed from incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels. The largest source is from road transport; older vehicles which do not have catalytic convertors produce significant amounts with newer cars producing very little.
• Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)- UK emissions are dominated by combustion of fuels containing Sulphur, such as coal and heavy oils by power stations and refineries. In some parts of the UK, notably Northern Ireland, coal for domestic use is a significant source.
• Oxides of Nitrogen - All combustion processes in air produce oxides of nitrogen (NO_x). Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and nitric oxide (NO) are both oxides of nitrogen and together are referred to as NO_x Road transport is the main source, but this can also be formed in lightning storms and from natural breakdown processes in soil and water.

What are the emissions limits?

The daily average emissions limits for the Beddington ERF are some of the strictest in the country:

• Dust (Particulates) 5mg/m³
• Total Organic Carbon 10mg/m³
• Hydrogen Chloride 8mg/m³
• Carbon Monoxide 50mg/m³
• Sulphur Dioxide 40mg/m³
• Oxides of Nitrogen 165mg/m³

Ensuring measurements are accurate

It is vital that the specialist equipment taking gas samples from the flue stacks of the Beddington ERF are operating correctly and taking accurate measurements. To ensure this is the case, the Environment Agency ensures the equipment is put through a rigorous three-stage testing and quality assurance process:

• Firstly, the monitoring equipment must meet the rigorous performance requirements of, and be evaluated under, the Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme (MCERTS).
• The second level of quality assurance calibrates the instruments. An independent and accredited test house carries out a full calibration every three to five years. In addition, each year an independent accredited test house undertakes an Annual Surveillance Test to ensure that the calibration remains valid.
• Finally, Viridor are required to regularly measure the drift of the monitoring equipment using a specified gas of known composition and take action to restore calibration if significant drift is detected.

More information

Public Health England’s (PHE) publication on the health impacts of ERFs stated that - “We found no evidence that exposure to PM10 from, or living near to, an ERF operating to current EU standards was associated with harm for any of the outcomes investigated.”

PHE has also published the following statement on the health impact of waste incineration: “Modern, well managed incinerators make only a small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. It is possible that such small additions could have an impact on health but such effects, if they exist, are likely to be very small and not detectable."

During the planning and permitting process for the ERF, Viridor carried out a comprehensive environmental impact assessment which included a number of air and ground quality measurements which were carried out in the locality of the Beddington ERF site. This included detailed modelling of the potential impacts of the ERF on its surroundings.

More information

Book a tour

We hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of the Beddington ERF and that you’ve learnt something about how your residual (black bag waste) is treated and turned into energy. If you would like to visit the Beddington ERF to see it for yourself, we run regular tours of the facility. To book a place, viridor.co.uk/book-a-visit. For any questions regarding your visit place contact beddingtonERFeducation@viridor.co.uk

Contact us

To report an incident or raise a concern about operations at the Beddington ERF, please call our freephone customer care line on 0800 975 3029 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

Alternatively, you can contact our environmental regulator, the Environment Agency, to report an incident (this will take a number of hours to respond) by calling 24 hours a day on: 0800 807 060. The best thing to do is to call Viridor on the number above in the first instance so that an investigation can begin straight away. Or for more information please visit their website: Environment Agency Website

For more information about the Beddington ERF and Viridor please visit viridor.co.uk

you can also Email: beddingtonerf@viridor.co.uk

Or you can write to:
Viridor Community Relations
105 Beddington Lane
Beddington
Sutton CR0 4TD

To learn more about the South London Waste Partnership and your waste collections please visit slwp.org.uk

Leave it out campaign launches to raise awareness of the dangers of laughing gas canisters

Viridor (operators of the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility) have launched a public information campaign across four south London boroughs to raise awareness of nitrous oxide canisters and their impact on local waste management. In recent months thousands of ‘creamer canisters’ have arrived at the Beddington Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) mixed in with household waste. Many are intercepted, but any canisters that do go through the waste treatment process can explode potentially causing minor damage, risks to the safety of staff and increased maintenance.

Intended for use in the catering industry, nitrous oxide (commonly known as laughing gas) is increasingly being used for recreational purposes. The gas is inhaled from a balloon and stored in canisters. Until recently these tended to be single-use canisters the size of a bullet, which could pass through the ERF without incident. In recent months however, it has become clear that people are increasingly buying and disposing of much larger canisters, approximately the size of a 2-litre water bottle. It is these super-sized canisters that are causing operational challenges for the ERF.

Viridor is calling for residents or commercial users of these canisters to not place them in their bins but to check the label carefully and recycle or dispose of them responsibly.

Viridor’s ‘Leave it Out’ campaign, featuring ‘Noxie’ the naughty nitrous oxide canister, aims to help educate residents in south London about the importance of disposing of these canisters in a safe and sustainable way. The campaign will be supported by the four South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton) and will roll out across parks, at tram stations, newspapers and online in the coming months.

Dave O’Callaghan, Plant Manager for Viridor at Beddington said:
“In recent months we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of these much larger gas canisters coming to the Beddington ERF. Whilst the plant is designed to safely deal with a wide range of non-recyclable waste, when these canisters are processed, they can explode causing damage. We work around the clock to safely treat the non-recyclable waste from the South London Waste Partnership and have launched this campaign to raise awareness that these canisters are not designed to be processed by an ERF. Please do recycle them or dispose of them responsibly to help keep the team at the Beddington ERF safe.”

Cllr Natasha Irons, Chair of the South London Waste Partnership Joint Committee said:
“This alarming increase in the recreational use of nitrous oxide is a concern on many levels. The health risks should not be under-estimated. In addition to that, any canisters that end up in general waste bins have the potential to damage waste treatment plants and pose a risk to the people who collect and treat our waste. We are lobbying central government for a ban on consumer sales of nitrous oxide, and we are working hard to make it easier for people with these canisters to recycle them. In the meantime, I would ask residents; if you have or see one of these canisters, please don’t put it in the bin. Check the label for recycling and disposal guidance and if you’re unsure, contact the retailer you purchased it from.”

Ellen Daniels, Chief Executive of the British Compressed Gases Association added:
“We are deeply concerned by the rapid increase in the sale of these larger 600g nitrous oxide canisters and their impact on waste treatment facilities. Nitrous oxide has become the second most used substance among 16- to 24-year-olds, and we must come together to ensure that these canisters are not accessible to those in our communities that want to use this substance recreationally. The BCGA welcomes this campaign launch in south London. We are keen to work with partners, including those in the waste management sector, to raise awareness of the issue and work towards an effective solution.