Viridor Waste Management began operating in 1956 as Haul Waste Limited. Since the early days, the Company has enjoyed steady expansion through a combination of acquisition and organic growth and is now one of the leading companies in its sector. Providing integrated recycling and waste management solutions across the UK, Viridor Waste Management is now part of the Pennon Group with a turnover in excess of £300 million with 180 operational sites. These include household recycling centres, MRFs, transfer stations and state-of-the-art composting facilities. Viridor Waste Management handles nearly 9 million tonnes of waste per annum and currently holds 33 waste management contracts with local authorities throughout the UK, working to establish cost effective integrated solutions that address national and local targets for waste minimisation and recycling. Ongoing investment in production and materials handling equipment has seen the recent purchase of a Liebherr L 554 2plus2 High Lift articulated wheeled loading shovel. The machine has been delivered to Viridor at their waste transfer station at Nuffield Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset, where the company is working in partnership with Poole Borough Council.

Household collection trucks deliver waste material to site, where the loader stockpiles in covered bunds before loading it into bulkers for onward transportation. In order to prevent spillage and site litter, Viridor specified that the loader’s bucket should have a waste retaining clamp and the loader arms should be long enough to allow the operator to tamp material inside the 4.5m high bulker trailers to maximise payloads. There is also a waste paper facility on the site and here, material is stockpiled before loading into walking floor 4.2m high trailers. The bucket dump clearance was required to be around 5.4m to prevent damage to strengthening bars across the trailers. The environment can be dusty, so engine cooling system efficiency and induction air pre-cleaning were also essential.

The Liebherr L 554 2plus2 purchased by Viridor weighs in at 20.70 tonnes and, in the high lift configuration, has a tipping load of 8 tonnes. Power is provided by a Liebherr turbo-charged diesel engine, type D 924 TI-E A2, which develops 145kW (198HP) at 2000RPM. The stepless hydrostatic drive provides excellent traction, mobility and agility as the machine performs a wide variety of tasks around the site. This versatile materials handler is equipped with high lift arms and a direct mounted 4m³ Ulrich high tip bucket with trash clamp. The 5.4m dump clearance of the bucket easily loads into the high-sided bulk trailers with reach to spare and the 4.6m pin height of the high lift arm allows the operator to compact material inside the trailer with the base of the bucket. The operator has total control of the loader functions via a single joystick lever, including the high tip and clamp functions.

The L 554 2plus2 has been supplied with a variety of additional operating and safety features, including:-  23.5R25 Bridgestone VSDL L5 tyres with liquid armour seal puncture sealant; extra-heavy-duty cab screen guard: automatic reversing cooling fan to maintain radiator cleanliness; Kidde automatic fire suppression system; Prolec weighload system; Groeneveld automatic greasing system. Total visibility behind the loading shovel at all times is achieved with convex mirrors, reverse camera and TFT LCD monitor, supplied by Spillard Safety Systems. The customer has also opted for a repair and maintenance contract with Liebherr’s after sales department.

Viridor Waste Management proclaims complete satisfaction with their new Liebherr loader’s performance and is particularly pleased with a measured 10 litres per hour fuel consumption on the task.