VCU Europa recognises the need to provide a host
of support services that go towards creating a successful
composting plant. This begins at the scoping stage of the
project and spans right through to a commitment to the ongoing
operation of the plant. Click to see details about the services
we offer:
Getting planning permission to operate a composting
plant is a critical step in the development of a project and
one where many would-be ‘composters’ come unstuck.
Composting is an increasingly important but complicated land-use
activity and the level of knowledge amongst traditional planning
consultants can be limited. For this reason VCU Europa offers
a planning service so that customers can take advantage of our
depth of experience in achieving planning for composting activities.
The fact that as designers of the plant, the majority of information
must be supplied by us, makes this a logical step.
No commercial waste management activity can be undertaken without
a waste management licence. For new ventures, securing a licence
is a first step and is often tied to planning. VCU Europa has
the expertise to secure a waste management licence on behalf
of our customers. Our support in this area can often speed up
the process, reduce the overall project lead-time and enable
our customers to get their facilities up and running sooner.
Often our customers are integrating the VCU In
Vessel Composting (IVC)
system into an existing waste management facility. However,
increasingly our customers are looking to establish an entirely
new facility and look to us for a turn-key solution.
In such cases, VCU Europa is able to provide a complete solution
encompassing all aspects of mechanical, civil and structural
design as well as acting as lead contractor, overseeing the
construction of the entire facility.
VCU Europa offers maintenance through its Maintenance Support
Contract, taken up on an annual basis. This contract means that
VCU Europa will take responsibility for monthly maintenance
and equipment checks as well as mechanical, electrical and hydraulic
trouble-shooting should a problem occur.
In the first year of operation, a Maintenance Support Contract
provides added comfort to the customer that all maintenance
requirements under our Standard Warranty are being taken care
of. In subsequent years, maintenance support ensures that the
VCU Composting System will meet and exceed its design life.
Many of our customers are not experienced composters.
Particularly in the first year of operation it is of particular
value for customers to have an added level of support, targeted
at the performance of the composting plant as a whole.
Our experience of composting just about every kind of organic
waste in regulatory environments around the world, means our
composting experts are just the people needed to keep a close
eye on things while our customers find their feet.
A Composting Support Contract can be taken out at any time but
is usually favoured in the first year or two of operation. The
contract can be tailored to specific needs with as much or as
little on-site support as is required.
Gaining Full Accreditation under the Animal By-Products Regulation
is a highly involved process that takes at least six months.
During this time, an in depth knowledge of modern composting
methods, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and the
finer details of the Regulation are essential. Constant communication
with the State Veterinary Service should be maintained throughout
the Accreditation process.
VCU Europa takes care to prove the VCU will meet the requirements
of the ABPR. As a pioneer of the Accreditation process in UK,
Spain and Ireland, VCU can take on the management of the entire
Accreditation process if requested by the customer. This is
perhaps the most critical phase of the entire project and the
investment is often well justified. For more information see
Legislation/ABPR.
Producing quality compost is of course an integral
part of any composting plant. Industry requirements for quality
compost such as the British PAS100 Standard mean that when the
Quality Protocol is achieved the material ceases to be a waste
and becomes a product. This removes the requirement for a waste
management licence or an exemption to spread the compost.
VCU Europa will design and oversee a program for the production
of quality compost and can manage the process of certification
under industry standards such as PAS100.
