Devon Contract Waste Ltd

General information

About Us at Devon Contract Waste
Setting the Future of Waste
At Devon Contract Waste in Exeter we are setting the standard in the UK for the most efficient collection and separation practices for commercial waste.
The company, now in its 27th year, has an enormous wealth of experience across all aspects of waste management both locally and internationally with our project in Africa.
We have seen huge changes in the way waste is collected and processed since we began, but during years of following the trends to landfill waste as it was a simple solution, our Managing Director was frustrated by the resources being wasted and set about researching what could be done as an alternative.
Needless to say we came across lots of dead ends, negativity and more feedback on what cannot be done than anyone willing to listen.
This all started in 2010 when we hired a big warehouse, tipped out four full dustcart loads of mixed waste and spent two weeks sorting it by hand into sizes and types of material. What we discovered was nearly 70% of the waste we collect and send to landfill could be recycled.
We then set out to find the technology that could sort this waste in high volumes and at speed. What we found was a sorting technology used to separate clean grades of plastic and then discovered this could be adapted for our mixed waste, but with careful consideration as to the order we separate the waste.
So as not to bore you, fast forward to 2016 and we now operate as the most efficient of the 5 waste sorting plants in the UK and we are proud to be the only one in the South West.
It was a painful and expensive process with over £5 million invested and thousands of man hours perfecting the process. There were moments of total despair but by January 2015 we were achieving 68% recovery on recycling at a throughput of 12 tonnes per hour.
The remaining 32% is a high calorific fuel used in industry to create power and heat in place of fossil fuels and the resulting ash (3%) is made into construction products so nothing is wasted.

The Carbon Issue
As we process the general waste at the same time as recycling, we recover everything that can be recycled. This has removed the need to collect the general waste and recycling separately (with the exception of food and glass).
The amount of CO2 saved every time a bin of recycling is collected at the same time as a general waste bin, is 3.04 kilograms. In addition to this massive benefit of course we separate everything for you to ensure no resources are wasted, not to mention the time saved at your end.
Since this process has started we have reduced our fleet of refuse vehicles by 5 and yet our turnover has doubled.

Of course if you prefer we can collect the recycling separately but as it has to be processed anyway to ensure the high quality standards required are met but we are as a company committed to reducing our carbon output.

Our fleet
We operate a large fleet or very modern waste management vehicles fitted with the very latest standard euro emission engines all main dealers maintained to ensure reliability.
These include:
• 4 X Mercedes Trade waste collection trucks 2015-2016. One of which is our reserve truck.

• 3 x Scania Trade waste collection trucks 2010

• 2 x Scania glass/ food waste collection trucks 2010-2015

• 3 x Scania Hook-lift skip lorries for bulk waste 2007- 2011

• 1 x Scania Front end loader 2008

• 1 x Scania curtain side 2010 (bulk bale collections)

We also have various sized vans for bale/WEEE collections and bin deliveries.
Each vehicle is fitted with a PDA complete with SAT NAV that can direct the crew to the exact location of the next bin, not the front or the wrong road or indeed roads not able to be accessed by HGV. Each of our vehicles has a crew member to see the truck safely back in reversing manoeuvres and of course to help load.
The crew member and the driver are fully trained in the round, like a version of the London knowledge for Taxi drivers but for bin locations instead. If either member is off work, the other knows the round but as a last resort or memory jogger they have the pre-routed SAT NAV.

Waste Reporting
We have recently invested in a high tech collection and software system that provides up to the minute reporting for all our clients. When the truck arrives on site the system records the weight for each bin, the amount of bins emptied and the time they were there.

This information is fed back to our system where it is stored and a monthly report is generated for each site detailing what was collected together with information on our current recovery rates.
We are able to confirm jobs through our Service Confirmation Report (example to the right) which details the weight of the bins, the vehicle and also a tracking trail. This can be emailed straight to you as soon as the driver confirms a job.

In the event a bin is missed due to access the crew send a picture of the issue which we then send to you in order that you can resolve it before we call back. To left is an example of an issue report that we would send to you via email along with an attached photograph. As you can see it gives you plenty of information and photographic evidence as to why we were unable to service the site on that occasion. We will then be able to suggest a time when we can return to site to complete the job, and ensure that the problem is avoided in the future.
You can also see a screenshot of our live vehicle tracker so we are able to see how close the vehicle is to you to enable us to give you an ETA and also let you know if we are able to return on the same day.
We are also able to see the ‘Live Collections’ report which we show on our office television throughout the day so that all members of staff and visitors are able to see the current success rate for that day. This report is also available at any time of any day, so we can put the figures together and provide an accurate report of our % success for each week. As you can see we are also able to see which lorries have the best success rates (which assists us with our bonus scheme for drivers) and additionally the reasons for which jobs have been failed.
Charity Work
We also work very closely with many charities, from many parts of the world. We are currently working with Plan International on many projects for a school in Mali. The children in Sanankoroba village, Kati District have poor and limited education opportunities due to insufficient and over-crowded classrooms with more than 100 students in a class. Devon Contract Waste has continually worked hard with the school helping to improve the quality of their education and fight their way out of poverty.
Not only this but we have also funded a new waste collection in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum, called Rizikki Safi Services. Prior to our involvement, some forward-thinking residents used wheel barrows to collect waste in the area. We have now provided them with their own refuse vehicle. Additionally, we have been supporting Child Hope Ministries by building a classroom in 2014 and we now pay all of their rent direct to their landlord in order to secure their home.
We have worked very closely with Dartmoor Zoo, helping them to become more sustainable and eco-friendly within their waste and recycling methods.

Some Testimonials
“Devon and Cornwall Police have been working alongside Devon Contract Waste since the award of contract in April 2015 for the disposal of our residual and recycling waste. The contract has had a huge amount of benefits for us not only in not having to separate out these waste streams but saving the amount of space all of the different disposal containers used to take and the ease of the disposal of this waste. Devon Contract Waste is a pleasure to work alongside of and is always looking for new ways to develop with advancing technology.”
Julia Wordley
Estates Facilities Manager
Devon and Cornwall Police

“As a business we strive to maximise waste for recycling, however as a busy exhibition and conference centre found it difficult with traders not necessarily caring of the way in which they dispose of waste. In working with Devon Contract Waste we have been able to achieve our ambitions and easily, thanks to the fantastic technology they use. We are now proudly recycling the vast majority of waste generated.” Sarah Rich, Events Manager, Westpoint Centre (Devon) Ltd

“Dartmoor Zoo was naturally drawn to use Devon Contract Waste as our waste contractor because of their Zero To Landfill policy. It’s a hard boast to fulfill, but DCW uses pioneering technology which grinds up mixed material waste and separates it into recyclable streams, so that every possible scrap can be recycled, or re-consumed as energy-generating fuel. The process is the brainchild of MD Simon Almond, who invested heavily in a system that many people said could never work (a story familiar to me at the zoo). The result is that we don’t even have to separate plastic from paper – it’s all done at the depot. At Dartmoor Zoo, with our emphasis on conservation, it is essential that we practice what we preach, keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible and using only the best and most ethical suppliers. DCW tops the list of these for me, and has been quite rightly consulted by Local Authorities and other waste contractors. DCW gives freely of their consultative time, encouraging others to follow their Zero to Landfill path, rather than seeking to profit exclusively from it. This ethos is very rare in the modern marketplace, and is another reason that Dartmoor Zoo is proud to endorse DCW. Friendly drivers, smart new vehicles, and a competitive price doesn’t hurt either.”
Benjamin Mee
Director
Dartmoor Zoo