DP Skip Hire have been operating in the Stoke-on-Trent area for over 25 years and have expanded from a simple skip hire company to one that provides a tipping facility, plant hire, asbestos disposal services and UPVC recycling service. This has been achieved and services enhanced further through a recent permit variation application, of which MTS Environmental were the main environmental consultants corresponding with the Environment Agency to manage the process.

The permit variation process can be complicated, and MTS helped DP Skip Hire navigate the process to make it simple for them and achieve the desired benefits that a varied permit would provide them at their site. The site, based in Staffordshire, consists of a household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station working under an environmental permit. The recent variation has allowed the following:

• Extension to the permit area
• Increase in annual tonnage from 5,000 to 75,000 tonnes
• Additional hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams to be accepted and processed on site (including asbestos and WEEE waste)

These changes will provide DP Skip Hire with immense benefits, allow them to grow and diversify their business massively. The variation allows them to increase their operating site area which works in tandem with the allowance of increasing their throughput and turnover of waste by 70,000 tonnes per year. The new environmental permit also contains many more European Waste Codes (EWCs) to allow DP Skip Hire to accept a wide variety of waste streams on site including some hazardous wastes. This allows them to offer more services and to take more waste from customers.

The permit variation was a complicated process, and the site requires comprehensive management systems in place in order to correctly operate with hazardous waste. MTS Environmental designed a new site layout based on the new site boundary and the planned activities to be undertaken on site. A detailed dust suppression sprinkler system and fire detection system was designed and incorporated into the site plans in accordance with Environment Agency guidance on hazardous waste transfer, WEEE, asbestos and fire prevention. Due to the site looking to accept hazardous waste, more stringent procedures must be in place in order to prevent any contamination escaping the site and ensure the new activities do not introduce any impacts on the environment or human health.

MTS Environmental conducted a detailed desk study of the site alongside site visits to identify all sensitive receptors in order to design the management plans needed to effectively protect these receptors as well as the surrounding environment and site staff. These designs were then incorporated into comprehensive documents to submit with the variation application and that will be used as ‘manuals’ when constructing the new infrastructure on site and future operating of the site. The documents produced by MTS Environmental, alongside other EA required documents, included:

• Environmental Management System
• Dust Management Plan
• Noise Management Plan
• Fire Prevention Plan
• Environmental Risk Assessment

Some of the main innovations incorporated into the design of the new site include:

• Sealed drainage system which discharges to foul, of which MTS Environmental submitted and acquired discharge consents from Wessex Water for.
• Fire detection system in materials bays to ensure that only fire and not dust causes an alarm, the system is capable of alerting managers of a fire out of hours to ensure that fire prevention is effective at all hours.
• Dust suppression sprinkler system to cover all waste storage areas and bays, this has been designed to minimise water usage on site through using fine mist sprays which are more effective dust suppressants.
• Picking station to effectively separate waste streams so they can be sent for onwards recovery or disposal.

DP Skip Hire were advised throughout the process to guide them around the regulations and requirements needed on site and how they should manage their new site and activities. It was a collaborative relationship with regular communication to ensure that anything included in the plans were compliant but also practical for DP Skip Hire. MTS Environmental ensured that procedures stipulated to the EA were realistic, simple and cost-effective for DP Skip Hire to actually conduct once the site is operational. This was not just a tick-box exercise to get the permit variation issued, it was a process to design an efficient and effective site in line with DP Skip Hire operations which will allow them to successfully use the benefit of the new permit.