Mountain of Discarded Plastic Cleared

Clarity Environmental (UK) has cleared a mountain of plastic from a site in Avonmouth after hundreds of tonnes of the material was dumped and discarded by a rogue operator.

Ahead of schedule, Clarity has now handed the site back to the owner and recycled 340 tonnes of discarded plastic, diverting it from landfill.

A team of workers who were managed and led by Clarity Environmental, sorted, segregated and processed the material, ranging from wheelie bins to fruit crates and plastic film to empty chemical drums. Clarity then found buyers to purchase the plastic, preventing the majority from going to landfill.

Business Development Specialist at Clarity Environmental, Barry Dunne, said of the site: “Not only had the plastic been dumped, but the site had been carelessly managed throughout. Each time a load was tipped, it crushed the previous one, making it more and more difficult to extract any value from the materials that could be, and should have been, recycled.

“By using our knowledge and experience of plastics, in just a number of weeks we have managed to recycle a phenomenal amount – more than the average weight of two blue whales. Only a very small amount of the material had to go to landfill. This is a great achievement for Clarity and a great result for the environment.”

After successfully clearing the site, Clarity Environmental is now ready to take on other similar projects across the country and use the experience gained from Avonmouth to provide advice and support to the authorities and landowners who are left to deal with the dumped material.

David Adams, Clarity’s Managing Director, added: “Unfortunately there are sites like this across the country and it’s the landowners that are left with the burden of clearing the sites or facing costly fines. In today’s world, with our environment under so much pressure and the ability to recycle an increasing amount of material, it would have been a tragedy to have sent this plastic to landfill.

“We are delighted to have handed the site back to the owner, clear of all plastic, and now look forward to using our experience at Avonmouth to offer support, advice and management to help clear other similar sites.”