Technical Dion E.E., Greece’s largest environmental services contractor, has recently won some new waste collection, bin washing, street cleansing and waste transfer contracts in Thessaloniki Prefecture and the Municipality of Veroia. The company is based in Thessaloniki and provides waste collection, bin washing, street and beach cleansing and waste transfer contracts to all of the Greek municipalities such as Attica, Thessaloniki, Veroia, Crete and the Ionian islands as well as snow clearing contracts to the Greek highway authorities in Attica and Thessaloniki.
Technical Dion E.E. are an established contractor who have also provided emergency waste collection services in Athens and Thessaloniki when there have been strikes by the public sector because of the economic problems the country currently faces.
The company buys second hand waste collection, bin washing, street cleansing equipment such as truck mounted road sweepers, waste transfer trucks and gritters from both the UK and Germany. It favours second hand waste collection vehicles from the UK because of the right hand driving position being far safer when collecting municipal waste on a door to door collection route as the driver has a better view of the position of the collection crew. The use of second hand vehicles also helps Technical Dion E.E. reduce its carbon footprint as well as playing its part in helping with the circular economy.
The Waste Collection, Bin Washing and Street Cleansing contract in Thermaikos – Thessaloniki Prefecture
Technical Dion E.E. signed a contract on the 1st September 2014 to provide municipal waste collection, bin washing and street cleaning services for a year in the municipality of Thermaikos. The municipality currently uses main contractor EDIL Technical Industrial SA, another Greek environmental services contractor, but because of Technical Dion E.E.’s past experience in this field, EDIL Technical Industrial SA awarded a twelve month contract to Technical Dion E.E. to assist them in collecting municipal waste and providing bin washing and street cleansing services in the districts of Michaniona and Epanomi.
To mobilise this new contract, Technical Dion E.E. provided three waste collection trucks ex UK Mercedes Econic 6×2 mid steer waste collection vehicles fitted with a 22 cubic metre Norba RL300 intermittent rear loading compaction body and Terberg TCA-DE high level lift. The Terberg TCA-DE bin lift has been modified and has trunnion arms fitted so that it meets the Greek DIN 30700 and 30740 container requirements. Rear foot boards have also been fitted to the collection vehicles for the two loaders to ride on when moving from one street and communal collection point to another. The use of the Mercedes Econic low entry cab also provides a walk through cab interior with the option for the two loaders to ride inside the cab. In addition to the supply of the three waste collection vehicles, Technical Dion E.E. also provided a bin washing truck for the washing out of empty 120, 240, 360, 660 and 1100 litre containers and a truck mounted road sweeper to provide a street cleansing service in Michaniona and Epanomi.
Waste Collection Service
The waste collection service in Michaniona and Epanomi is carried out six days a week. Each of the three Mercedes Econic 6×2 mid steer Norba RL300 waste collection vehicles are manned with a driver and two loaders. They commence work on weekdays at 6am and finish at 1pm while, on Saturday, they start work at 6am and finish at 11am.
The waste collection service involves the door to door collection of municipal waste placed in plastic refuse sacks, 120, 240 or 360 litre wheeled bins. Side waste is also collected next to wheeled bins which may be overfilled, helping to provide a hygienic and efficient waste collection service. The collection crew also empty 660 and 1100 litre wheeled containers where there are apartment buildings and a communal collection point is used for the storage of municipal waste because a door to door waste collection service is unpractical.
Once the collection service has finished, the three waste collection trucks make their way to the Thermaikos waste transfer station operated by FODSA, the company responsible for waste management and recycling in Thessaloniki Prefecture. Upon arrival, the waste collection trucks discharge their loads into a hopper, and the waste falls by gravity into the top of an ejector trailer whose ejection ram compresses the waste to the rear of the tailgate so another waste collection truck can discharge at the waste transfer station. The trailer is supplied and operated by FODSA and once full, FODSA use a Renault Kerax 6×4 tractor unit to bring an empty waste transfer trailer to the waste transfer station so the loading of fresh waste can restart. The full waste transfer trailer is taken for discharge to the Mavrorahi Sanitary Landfill Site which FODSA also operates and which disposes of all waste produced in Thessaloniki Prefecture.
Once the waste collection service has been completed, Technical DION E.E. provide a bin washing service, for both 120, 240 and 360 wheeled bins supplied to door to door occupants as well as the 660 and 1100 litre containers positioned at communal collection points. The bin washing service is carried out by a driver and one operative and achieves the effective cleaning of all waste collection containers eradicating any germs and odours. The bin washing equipment used is manufactured by Greek manufacturer Hfaistos Stefanou and mounted onto a 15 tonne Mercedes Atego two axle chassis.
Finally, Technical Dion E.E. also provide street cleansing services using traditional truck mounted road sweepers of the Johnston and Scarab type which have also been acquired second hand from the UK. The truck mounted road sweepers are manned with a driver and provide an effective cleansing service to complement the waste collection and bin washing services which Technical Dion E.E. provide in Michaniona and Epanomi in Thermaikos municipality.
Waste Transfer Contract in the Municipality of Veroia
Technical Dion E.E. also provides the municipal waste collection service for the Municipality of Veroia using three waste collection vehicles, each manned with a driver and two loaders, which work on a similar collection frequency to the municipal waste collection contract in Thermaikos. Once the collection trucks are full, they discharge their loads at the waste transfer station at Veroia. The transfer station is also operated by Technical Dion E.E. who was awarded a ten month contract on the 19th February 2014 to transport waste from the Municipality of Veroia waste transfer station to a sanitary landfill site in Kozani.
As part of the contract, Technical Dion E.E. supplied two ejector trailers, second hand, ex UK, with second hand tractor units from Germany to transport the waste from the Veroia waste transfer station to the sanitary landfill site in Kozani. Waste collection trucks discharge their loads into a hopper at the waste transfer station and then the waste is carried along a conveyor belt system which feeds the waste into the top of one of Technical Dion E.E.’S ejector trailer vehicles.
Since each ejector trailer is only manned with a driver, this provides an effective and efficient waste transfer system hauling municipal waste from the Veroia waste transfer station to Kozani sanitary landfill site five days a week.
The Kozani sanitary landfill site is operated by DIADYMA, the public company responsible for waste management in Western Macedonia. DIADYMA also operate their own waste transfer stations across Western Macedonia to provide the efficient transfer of waste from municipalities in their Prefecture to the sanitary landfill site at Kozani.
In conclusion, Technical Dion E.E. are providing both an efficient waste collection, bin washing and street cleansing system for Thermaikos and its districts of Michaniona and Epanomi with an efficient and a sustainable waste transfer system for the Municipality of Veroia.