Working with waste for a sustainable future

Named as one of the fastest growing independent companies in the UK for 2011, the Raymond Brown Group's continued success has put it at the forefront of the waste and recycling industry.

Raymond Brown Minerals & Recycling (RBMR) and Raymond Brown Construction (RBC) two of the four divisions within the group, have had a productive 12 months undertaking increased activities within the industry. Strategically this includes RMBR beginning operations at its third Material Recycling Facility (MRF); launching its domestic and commercial skip and RORO hire service, BROWNSKIPS.com; and opening its new flagship A303 Recycling Facility, near Andover in Hampshire.

A £2 million redevelopment of the A303 site transformed what was a temporary operation into a cutting-edge 21,000 sq ft facility capable of saving 75,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year.

This increased capacity has helped established RBMR as an integral cog in waste management across southern England. As well as accepting third party waste from other skip and waste management companies, RBMR's fleet of skip lorries and ROROs collect and process inert waste from 25 civic amenity sites. To date the facility can boast a recovery rate of more than 75% but holds aspirations to increase it to 100% over the next few years.

Construction of the A303 Facility has recently earned its contractors, RBMR's sister company RBC, industry recognition, receiving one of the Institution of Civil Engineers' Engineering Excellence Awards for 2011.

This prestigious accolade comes as RBC continues to secure a number of high-profile contracts in the waste sector, working with Local Authorities and private clients across the country to deliver sustainable waste management facilities.

Following a six-month pre-construction Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase, including scheme design and target cost setting, RBC is well on the way to completing a new greenfield development to create a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) in an area of sensitive countryside near Swanage. The Centre, which is being assessed under the CEEQUAL programme to track a range of environmental and sustainability KPIs, is being delivered under Dorset County Council's strategic framework partnership contract.

Another significant project in the waste sector for the construction arm of Raymond Brown saw a £1m HWRC successfully completed in Barry, South Wales, on behalf of Vale of Glamorgan Council. Because of its sensitive location on the cliff slopes overlooking Barry Island, RBC had stringent requirements to meet under the planning permission, developing robust QA procedures to ensure an effective solution to manage leachates.

The partnership between the two divisions of Raymond Brown Group, RBMR and RBC, has established a highly-focused expertise tailored to the requirements of the waste industry for Local Authority and private sector clients.

With sustainable waste management growing in priority right across the board, Raymond Brown is continuing to deliver cutting-edge solutions. Currently in the pipeline for the multi-award winning business are a number of projects including Waste Transfer Stations and Anaerobic Digestion schemes as well as potential tenders for renewable energy projects such as constructing wind turbines on waste sites.