Case Study - Waste Collection on the Island of Kefalonia

Image Credit: Berit Watkin Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands and between May and October is home to many thousands of tourists. Dealing with waste management on the island is a very important task because of the large volumes of waste produced by tourists, combined with Mediterranean temperatures reaching 40°C between July and August. All waste and recyclables are collected and managed by the island of Kefalonia council. The council has a purpose built depot in Argostoli, the capital of the island. This houses eleven waste collection vehicles, eight of which are deployed on scheduled collection rounds while the other three are for additional rounds deployed in the summer months to manage the increase of waste created through tourism. The depot has a fully equipped workshop and can carry out all minor and major repairs to the fleet. A washing bay has also been constructed outside so that all of the waste collection vehicles can be washed out at the end of their days work to eradicate any germs or flies spreading in the Mediterranean heat. The council also has two waste collection vehicles which work in the town and on the outskirts of Lixouri. The smaller of the two vehicles also collects waste in Zola, Assos and the Port of Fiskardo. These vehicles are out based on land owned by the island of Kefalonia council outside of the town. Multiple collection systems Four principle collection systems are used on the island. One is the use of a plastic bin liner in the city of Argostoli’s narrow back streets. The second is the use of 240 and 360 litre containers for the collection of dry recyclables. The third is the use of 660 litre roll top steel and plastic flat top containers to DIN specification and the fourth is the use of 1100 litre roll top steel and plastic flat top containers to DIN specification. The 660 and 1100 litre containers are used for the collection of both recyclable and non-recyclable waste, and are distinguished in colour, blue is for dry waste for recycling while green is for the non-recyclable waste. Containers are placed at communal collection points along the street where domestic dwellings, apartments, shops and tavernas can place their waste for collection. Hotels are mostly provided with 1100 litre roll top containers but these are stored in their own grounds. The waste collection service is provided seven days a week in Kefalonia. In the summer the rounds are bigger and an additional three collection vehicles are used due to the increase in waste production due to tourism. In the winter months, the collection rounds change and the vehicles which have designated rounds cover larger areas. The three spare vehicles are only used in winter months to cover servicing and breakdowns and are not used to provide a front line waste collection service like in the summer. The collection service starts between 3am and 5am daily to avoid traffic and disrupting tourists. On Sundays, the waste collection service covers the whole island in the summer months and in the winter months the service is only carried out in Argostoli from 3am until 10-11am. Each collection crew is manned with a driver and two personal who position the containers to the rear of the vehicles for emptying by the vehicle’s lifting equipment. There are two waste collection rounds which collect waste from the City of Argostoli and the tourist resort of Lassi. One concentrates on collecting the waste in the long streets while the other vehicle concentrates on collecting waste in the areas of Argostoli and Lassi with restricted access. A small satellite 7.5 tonne refuse collection vehicle also collects waste in the tight access areas and provides a second service for the larger inner city streets mid morning with the round finishing between 2pm and 3pm. There are also separate collection vehicles which collect waste from the famous town of Sami, the International Airport for the island and a number of other small towns on the island. The fleet Kefalonia boasts a modern fleet of waste collection vehicles. Traditionally, the island used to buy its refuse collection vehicles second hand from Germany when they were ten to twelve years old. These would mainly consist of a Mercedes SK two axle chassis with Faun / Kuka Rotopress rotating drum compaction equipment with one larger vehicle being a Mercedes SK three axle with Haller X2 intermittent loading equipment. All of the collection vehicles purchased in this period had a trunnion arm lifter which could lift containers of 660 and 1100 litres capacity DIN 30700 type. The island also purchased several Steyr 91 two axle chassis new with Kaoussis CRV1600 rotating drum compaction equipment in the late eighties and early nineties era. These too were fitted with trunnion lifters to DIN 30700 specification. However, from 1996, the fleet began to be updated. The island purchased a new Mercedes SK 2024 18 tonne two axle chassis with Faun Variopress waste collection bodywork and trunnion lifting equipment mounted to it. In 1999 a Mercedes Atego 1523 two axle chassis of 15 tonnes with 12 cubic metre Kaoussis CRV 1600 rotating drum compaction equipment was also purchased to access the narrow streets across the island. This featured a trunnion and bar lift for the emptying of containers of 80 – 1100 litre capacity DIN 30700 / DIN 30740. In 2002, the island added another five new refuse collection vehicles to its fleet. These consisted of one Mercedes Actros 2640 three axle chassis with Kaoussis Norba RL300 22 cubic metre bodywork mounted to it, which was purchased to collect waste in the large streets of Argostoli and Lassi. The other four vehicles were Mercedes Actros 1831 two axle chassis with Kaoussis Norba RL300 16 cubic metre bodywork mounted to them. All five new waste collection vehicles were fitted with a trunnion bin lift which can empty containers from 80-1100 litres capacity DIN 30700 and DIN 30740 types. Then in 2004 the island council purchased a Mercedes Atego 815 7.5 tonne two axle chassis with Mazzocchia satellite waste collection equipment mounted to it. It also featured a bar lift which could empty containers from 80 -1100 litres capacity DIN 30700 and DIN 30740 types and was purchased to operate as a ‘satellite’ vehicle and collect waste in the narrow streets of Argostoli. Once full, it would off load its waste into the Mercedes Actros 2640 three axle chassis with Kaoussis Norba RL300 22 cubic metre bodywork for onward transport to the sanitary landfill site of the island. This collection vehicle is also manned by a driver and two collection personal. Out with the old in with the new In 2008 another four larger vehicles were purchased - three Iveco Eurocargo 190EL28 two axle 18 tonne chassis with Kaoussis Norba RL300 16 cubic metre bodywork and an Iveco Trakker 450 three axle 26 tonne chassis with Kaoussis Norba RL300 22 cubic metre bodywork. All have a bar lift fitted to them to the same specification as the other collection vehicles. The purpose for buying these four vehicles was to replace the last of the remaining Mercedes SK Faun / Kuka Rotopress rotating drum vehicles initially bought from Germany, as one of the Mercedes Actros 1831 two axle Kaoussis Norba RL300 16 cubic metre waste vehicles purchased new in 2002. This was so that one of these collection vehicles along with the Mercedes SK 2024 18 tonne two axle Faun Variopress waste collection vehicle could now be used as spare support vehicles to cover vehicle servicing and breakdowns. The larger Iveco Trakker 450 thee axle 26 tonne Norba RL300 22 cubic metre Kaoussis waste collection vehicle was purchased for a new waste collection round that was being developed across the island for in the summer. In the winter months, the vehicle is also used to cover the Mercedes Actros 2640 6x4 Kaoussis Norba RL300 waste collection vehicle when it is being serviced. Over the last few years the island has also taken delivery of a Nisaan Atleon150.22 two axle 12 tonne Kaoussis Norba RL200 14 cubic metre waste collection vehicle and a Mercedes Axor 1824 two axle 18 tonne Kaoussis Norba RL200 16 cubic metre waste collection vehicle both fitted with associated lifting equipment devices for emptying the 660 and 1100 litre containers used for the collection of dry recyclables. With the incremental additions to its fleet, Kefalonia’s council is now able to operate an effective and sustainable waste collection system for both its inhabitants and tourists for many years to come. By Timothy Byrne MCIWM Chartered Waste Manager ISWA International Waste Manager Associate member of Ategrus (Spanish Solid Waste Association) Read More The Answer for Remote Islands While Islands can range in size from the smallest rock to the 2.1 million km2 of Greenland, for those with a human population, the issue of waste management can be problematic. Often isolated from end markets for recyclates, does waste to energy technology offer these remote communities the ideal solution? By Andrew Street Taylor Wins Major Order for On-Street Recycling Bins in Western Isles Droitwich, UK based bin manufacturer, Taylor has won the first large UK order for its latest urban recycling solution, the Mini Street, following the decision by the Western Isles Council to roll the unit out across all of its major tourist areas across the Islands. New York Gangster 'Papa Smurf' Guilty of Waste Industry Racketeering Two members of notorious New York Crime families have pleaded guilty for their roles in a criminal racketeering enterprise that encircled the city’s waste hauling industry.