Waste Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Greetings and a very Happy New year to you.

Welcome to our first newsletter of the year, and to begin we would like to wish you a happy and prosperous 2008!

As the nation continues to move towards a cleaner and healthier environmental approach, EnviroServ has made it our priority to find alternative ways to treat and re-use waste.

The Technology Solutions Division of EnviroServ is responsible for identifying and implementing alternative waste solutions for our clients, solutions that provide significant benefits for the industry involved, as well as the environment, while ensuring that EnviroServ maintains it's position as an industry leader.

Examples of projects currently being pursued by the team are the Alternative Fuels and Resources Project, Bioremediation, Micro Encapsulation and the beneficiation of various wastes from the Food & Beverage Industries. In addition, the treatment and disposal/reuse of industrial effluent is also a core focus.

To date, continued lobbying by ourselves and the cement industry, where the disposal of suitable hazardous wastes in cement kilns through AFR development has been strongly encouraged, has prompted the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) to look into this issue. This has resulted in the formulation of the National Policy on the High Temperature Thermal Disposal of Waste by DEAT, and this is expected to be ratified by parliament in April 2008.

Biopile treatment as an alternative treatment approach has grown significantly, where petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POLs) are common contaminants in industrial and mining operations. In this way EnviroServ has now treated thousands of tonnes of petrol/diesel contaminated soil.

Micro encapsulation is another recognized technology which EnviroServ is pursuing. It is not cement based but allows for great flexibility. EnviroServ is also involved with the waste generated from various Food and Beverage Industries, where these wastes are to be beneficiated for use in various other sectors.

EnviroServ’s client base encompasses all industrial sectors, and as a result, not only is solid waste being collected and disposed of, but so too is effluent waste. In the past, many of our clients had been producing industrial effluent that was either disposed of into the ecological system via direct river or irrigation, while others had been disposing of the effluent to their local sewer system. Over the past few years, legislation has changed, enforcing controls over the quality and quantity of the effluent entering these systems, and dictating harsh penalties to be imposed on offenders. This is when EnviroServ, as part of a complete on-site waste management programme, decided to include effluent treatment as part of its service offering. This has resulted in EnviroServ becoming a one stop shop for all of our client’s waste - barring radioactive material.

The Technology Solutions team has now grown from an initial complement of 6 persons to 39 full time and contract employees. The Technical division provides the conceptual and detailed engineering support up to construction of a new facility, the Support Services division provides all laboratory, pilot plant and commissioning support and the Operations division, as the name says, is responsible for the operations and maintenance of all the alternative facilities contracted to EnviroServ. Current projects include textile effluent, leachate treatment, precious metals recovery, agricultural and Acid Mine Drainage.

Is your waste a liability?
EnviroServ Waste Management will take the worry out of waste management. We will assess your various waste streams, classify them according to the appropriate legislation for safe handling, transportation and disposal, explore alternatives to landfill, investigate options to beneficiate your waste, recycle, re-use, and ultimately reduce the time, effort and money you spend on waste management.