Greatmoor & High Heavens employees set to star in new daytime TV show on 30th April
29/04/2021
Three employees from one of the UK’s largest recycling and waste management companies, FCC Environment are set to star in the new BBC One show, Dom Digs In. The series sees presenter, Dominic Littlewood on the front line with some of the UK’s most essential workers, many of whom have kept the country going throughout the three COVID-19 lockdowns.
In the ‘Waste’ episode, which will air on Friday 30 April at 11 am on BBC One, Dom discovers how our waste is turned into energy to power our homes and businesses. During the programme, he is shown around FCC Environment’s High Heavens waste transfer station and Greatmoor Energy from Waste (EfW) facility by Gillian Sinclair, FCC Environment’s Head of Development in its Green Energy Division.
Dom gets to see first-hand the different stages non-recyclable household waste goes through after it has been collected from our kerbsides. The tour begins on the weighbridge, an industrial-sized scale outside the waste transfer station that weighs every loaded refuse collection vehicle that comes in, so that the exact amount of waste can be accurately tracked through the system from arrival.
Once inside the waste transfer station, Dom meets Justin Bailey, a Front End Loader whose role it is to make sure the non-recyclable waste FCC Environment collects from households across Buckinghamshire is packed methodically and efficiently into an articulated lorry to be transported to the EfW plant at Greatmoor.
The next day, Gillian and Dom proceed to Greatmoor, the UK’s largest single grate EfW facility, operated by FCC Environment in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council. This state-of-the-art facility receives up to 345,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year to generate 25MW of electricity – enough to power 40,000 homes across Buckinghamshire.
While at Greatmoor, Dom meets Waste Operator James Jackson, who shows Dom how the team inspects waste for any objects that may cause issues and stop the plant from running smoothly. Following this, James takes Dom to try his hand at operating the large crane that loads rubbish into the furnace. Once in the furnace, the waste is burnt, producing steam that turns the plant’s turbine to generate electricity.
Gillian commented: “Many people still believe the waste they put in their black bags just ends up in landfill, so it was fantastic to have the opportunity to show Dom, and the general public, how we are able to create energy with household waste after it is collected from people’s homes.
“I hope those who watch the show will be inspired to continue reducing, reusing and recycling as much of their waste as possible, and I hope it will give them a further appreciation of the tireless work our key workers in the waste sector do, day in and day out.”