A shift team leader from leading northeast recycling and waste management company, SITA UK, is planning a return visit 'home' to Australia to assist in the commissioning of a new SITA AU Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant in Mindarie near Perth.
Andy Young, 44 from Adelaide, has over 24 years service in the waste industry, having worked at SITA UK's Tees Valley energy-from-waste facility since it opened for commissioning in 2006, following a move from the previous site at Portrack.
He was recently selected for the month-long secondment in Australia to train local operators in the safe use and handling of cranes at the new plant, which processes waste that has not been collected for recycling or composting.
He will also be advising the team on how to manage the site's waste bunker so the correct mixture of waste is employed and the waste is stacked efficiently to achieve the maximum available capacity of the bunker.
As shift team leader at the Haverton Hill-based facility, Andy manages a team of six operators, processing 250,000 tonnes of municipal waste per year, which produces 21 MW of electricity per hour for the National Grid, enough power to supply 12,000 homes.
Andy is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. "This is a great opportunity for me to gain experience of being part of a commissioning team, using slightly different technology and processes from the facility here in the Tees Valley. With 24 years experience of working in the waste industry and expertise in operating eight tonne overhead waste cranes, I was delighted when my Plant Manager, Mark Atkinson, offered me the secondment and the opportunity to go 'home'," he said.
Mark Atkinson, Plant Manager for SITA Tees Valley's EfW plant said: "SITA UK is leading the way in recycling and waste management technology and the commissioning project in Australia will benefit from Andy's expertise in this area. "
Andy leaves for Australia at the end of April when the first stage of commissioning starts at the plant in Perth. He also hopes to fit in some fun around the busy work schedule. "Travelling back home to Australia is obviously an extra incentive and because my sister lives in Perth, I thought I could mix a little bit of pleasure with business as hopefully my wife will accompany me on her first visit down under!"
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