Recycling waste boosts sustainable transport target

The Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) target to maximise sustainable transport was given a boost this week as the movements of waste from the Olympic Park were switched from road to water.
 
The newly-opened Three Mills Lock on the Prescott Channel will be used by 350 tonne barges to take waste from the Olympic Park to a specialist recycling centre in Rainham, Essex.
 
Materials set aside for recycling and reuse including timber, cardboard, plastics and packaging will be loaded at a new jetty on the Waterworks River opposite the Aquatic Centre and travel down to the Thames.
Environment Manager Richard Jackson said: "The waterways will be a key feature of the Olympic Park, characterising the parklands and open spaces for spectators in 2012 and the local communities after the Games.
"During the 'Big Build', they will also play a key role in our logistics strategy, with barges bringing construction materials into the Park and waste out again. This is vital in helping us meet our sustainability targets and will cut down on the number of lorries travelling on the roads."
The Three Mills Lock and Water Control Structure was officially opened last month and enables large freight barges to enter the Park during the construction phase. A multi-million pound dredging programme was carried out to clear the water freight route and remove 30,000 tonnes of silt, gravel and rubble as well as tyres, shopping trolleys, timber and at least one motor car.
British Waterways Director London, Mark Bensted said: "One of the key reasons British Waterways took on the Three Mills Lock project was to see water-borne freight being moved in and out of the Olympic Park.
 
"So this freight movement is a fantastic start for the new lock, proving that where conditions and logistics are right, water transport is a great way to move materials.
 
"I hope that the lock will help make a real difference, removing lorries from local roads and promoting water transport as a viable option to contractors both in the build up to the Games and in Legacy."
 
 
Background
 
1. Pictures of the first waste barge can be downloaded: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr125655884
 
2. The target set out in the ODA's Sustainable Development Strategy published in 2007 stated that 50 per cent of materials (by weight) would be transported by rail or water. In April 2009, the ODA announced that were achieving 57 per cent of deliveries by rail alone.
 
3. A Waste Management contract has been awarded to Veolia Environmental Services who have established a centralised waste management service and a waste consolidation centre on the site. Any waste created by the construction activities will be recovered and reused or recycled and diverted away from landfill.
 
4. The Three Mills Lock is a £20 million structure comprising of twin water control gates, a 62m x 8m tidal lock, footbridge, lock control building, fish pass and fixed weir. The project is funded by British Waterways, Defra, the Department for Transport, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the ODA and Transport for London. 
 
5. There are 8.35km of waterways in and around the Olympic Park. The Lea Valley waterways primarily run north to south through the heart of the Olympic Park and ultimately connect with the Thames. The River Lea runs through the centre of the Park and is joined in the northern part of the Park by the Channelsea River, Henniker's Ditch and two main areas of wetlands. In the south, the waterways include the Waterworks River, City Mill River, Bow Back River and the Old River Lea. The Park's western-most boundary is the Lea Navigation - a historically important canal that links East London to West London.

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