Viridor

Recycling & Waste Management
= 44 1823 324088 viridoruk

 

What we do:

Our world faces three significant environmental challenges - global warming, deforestation, and waste pollution. Viridor is a business focusing on the latter - waste management.

You may have seen its distinctive green lorries collecting what British homes and businesses throw away. But there’s much more than waste-collection to Viridor.

Our planet has wonderful natural recycling – for example, leaves falling from a tree will decompose and return nutrients to the soil. Alas, the vast majority of what we humans throw away will not decompose in the same way.

Viridor works by not letting wastes go to waste. Instead, it transforms waste into recyclable materials and vital renewable energy.

Stuff that once societies regarded as problematic is now seen as a valuable resource that can be recycled and recovered.

Via Viridor’s lorry collections refuse taken to sophisticated separation facilities. Plastics are divided by type and ground up for recycling. Paper and card made into pulp. Metals divided for melting down. General waste burned in contained furnaces to generate energy.

Viridor also manages waste landfill sites ensuring they have a minimal ecological impact via landscaping, eventually allowing them to be integrated with the natural landscape to form conservation areas and wildlife sanctuaries.

Why we do it:

Recycling is essential to both the natural environment and us. We must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time.

The amount of rubbish we create is steadily increasing because -

  • Increasing wealth means that people are buying more products and ultimately creating more waste.
  • A growing population means that there are more people on the planet to create waste.
  • Packaging and technological products continue to be made containing materials that are not biodegradable.
  • New lifestyle changes, such as eating fast food, mean that we create additional waste that isn’t biodegradable.

Recycling is crucial in today's world.  Waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment.

  • Harmful chemicals and greenhouse gasses are released from rubbish in landfill sites. Recycling helps to reduce the pollution caused by waste.
  • Habitat destruction and global warming are some of the effects caused by deforestation. Recycling reduces the need for raw materials so that the rainforests can be preserved.
  • Vast amounts of energy are used when making products from raw materials. Recycling requires much less energy and therefore helps to preserve natural resources.

The People who do it:

Viridor employs over three thousand highly trained people to operate, support and manage our services and the facilities that transform waste.

The waste management industry has traditionally been a male-dominated area, but this is changing fast as the scope of roles within the sector evolves.

The company has built a reputation for working hard to foster a sense of social purpose and teamwork. Here are what a couple of employees say -

“Working for a progressive organisation with an immediate and wider team of colleagues who have a real drive to succeed and are so passionate about the areas they work in.”

“People at Viridor are committed to their job. Sometimes things can be challenging, but the staff always pull through."

Listening to Viridor team members you get the sense that everyone knows they are playing their part in one of the best ways to have a positive impact on the world in which we live.

Into the Future:

The world is changing fast as new technologies for recycling and energy conservation evolve. Protecting our environment is now seen as a critical issue which will affect the quality of everyone's life. Something that will without doubt continue in the future.

Recycling will continue to be essential to cities around the world and to the people living in them.

Priory Bridge Road Taunton TA1 1AP
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How to Join Us:

Viridor is always on the lookout for people who share its passion for caring about the environment and the world's resources. People who want to contribute by finding and creating new solutions.

Apprenticeships

Currently, there are over 260 apprenticeships across the Viridor business. These are at Intermediary, Advanced or High- levels in the industry. You can start your learning at any level and develop your career from one to the next.

Apprenticeships ➡︎

Graduate Trainee

The graduate trainee programme lasts two years, offering insights into four different business areas within Viridor. These might include Landfill, Power Generation, Recycling, Energy from Waste or Commercial functions. The rotational scheme allows graduates to gain a wide understanding of the whole business, and the opportunity to be based around the U.K. It means you can try lots of different departments to help you decide where you would best like to be placed. Plus it's a great way to make friends and build a contact network across the company, which will help as your career grows.

Graduate schemes ➡︎

Ex-Forces

Viridor values the qualities of discipline, leadership, effective decision-making, teamwork and adaptability, which are the very skills that ex-forces people bring to the business. The company works in partnership with various career transition groups at Open Events.

Career opportunities ➡︎

 

Photo gallery All photos (25)

Who We Work With:

Viridor works with 150 Local Authorities around the UK and a number of large companies including Marks & Spencer, Unilever, Tesco, Sainsburys, Ineos and Faerch Plast on recycling strategies.

Viridor teams work with these consumer goods brands  to ensure their packaging can be easily sorted and go the full-loop through its recycling facilities.

 

In the Community:

Viridor runs eleven visitor centres around the UK where each year, thousands of visitors come to learn about how we can look after the environment.

Teaching children about recycling from a young age means it is more likely to become normal behaviour when they become adults. We invite schools, colleges and community groups to learn from interactive exhibits how we can all play our part in looking after the planet.

At a local level Viridor teams are very active in supporting and participating in many charity activities.

The Company also sponsors Exeter Rugby Club, Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton Town FC and Stockport Counrty FC.

 

Photographs & videos by Viridor and Letsrecycle