If recycling seems difficult to you, just think about what it鈥檚 like in other parts of the world 鈥� like ones at the end of the earth. In 1962, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) began to participate in regulating developments at 鈥渢he bottom鈥� of the globe: the Antarctic. BAS had many goals, but one of the most important was to work on limiting the amount of manmade waste that entered the region, particularly from oil rigs and survey work.
BAS wanted to make sure that any waste created during its activities was carted out afterward, so it organized regular shipments of waste and other materials to ports in the United Kingdom. Twice each year, these materials were disposed of or recycled properly.
Today, the global resource management company聽Veolia is partnering with BAS to extend such waste recovery efforts. When waste materials are delivered to various ports across the UK, Veolia will provide maritime barges and support vehicles to collect and transfer them to affiliated recycling facilities.
Public Interest
One of the vessels used in this project will be the recently completed聽RRS聽Sir David Attenborough, nicknamed Boaty McBoatface. This vessel garnered quite a bit of attention during a public contest to name the boat. BAS is hopeful that the activities of this vessel will bring greater attention to its efforts, given that it received more than 32,000 suggested names during the competition.
On the surface, the partnership sounds fairly simple. But it鈥檚 a significant undertaking, due to the complexity of transferring and handling the waste.
鈥淢aintaining the environment of the Polar Regions and safely delivering complex operations in extreme conditions produces a diverse range of materials,鈥� reads the Veolia聽press release. 鈥淭hese include laboratory samples, electrical equipment, commercial waste, clothing, rope, survival gear and more recently the obsolete living quarters.鈥�
In order to meet the requirements, Veolia will bring in complex teams that include recycling specialists, logistics professionals and chemists who know how to maximize the recovery process. They鈥檒l work to get the most out of each shipment of nonrecyclable materials and try to ensure that the recycling is carried out in a safe, economical manner.
Estelle Brachlianoff, senior executive vice president at Veolia UK & Ireland, said the new contract is mutually advantageous for BAS and Veolia. She鈥檚 hopeful that their connection will increase support for the mission of BAS as well as expand the world鈥檚 reuse of renewable resources.
鈥淭he British Antarctic Survey is at the forefront of innovation in the study of human impact on the planet,鈥� Brachlianoff said. 鈥淎s a company dedicated to lowering this impact, their activities align closely with Veolia鈥檚 own global strategy to preserve resources and lower carbon emissions with an aim of achieving a circular economy. Our continuing support for this work will help them maintain their unique work environment and protect the Polar Regions.鈥�
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