An employee of one of Scotland’s largest construction firms, City Building, has achieved a prestigious industry qualification.

Billy Wilson, who works for Glasgow City Council’s arm’s-length construction company City Building as waste area manager, has completed the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (Wamitab) Certification in Managing Transferred Hazardous Waste 4TSH Level 4.

Billy, who is based at the company’s recycling plant in Springburn, also completed the Wamitab Certificate in Managing a Transfer Station with Treatment of Hazardous Waste 4TMH Level 4.

With landfill costs on the increase and pressure on organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and operate in a more sustainable manner, City Building decided to bring waste management in-house. However, in order to meet the regulatory demands of Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), the firm had to nominate a member of staff to study for the Wamitab qualifications.

Billy Wilson said: “I’m delighted to have received this qualification, not only on a personal level, but also for the difference it will make to City Building. As a large construction firm with a lot of waste to dispose of, anything that enhances our ability to dispose of waste more efficiently will help us towards a more sustainable future. ”

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The Wamitab Level 4 Certificate is a highly coveted qualification covering all aspects of waste management, and only a handful of people in Britain are in possession of both certificates.

Joe McDade, City Building’s Transport Manager with overall responsibility for the recycling plant, said: “We needed a member of staff to achieve the Wamitab qualification and Billy has shown great enthusiasm for waste management since he started managing the waste area three years ago. He also demonstrated great dedication in studying for these qualifications.”

Sustainability is important to City Building, which now diverts 1,700 tonnes of waste from landfill every year. Its carbon footprint has fallen by 25 per cent since 2007, and it has been awarded ISO 14001 status across all areas of the business in recognition of environmental best practice.

Wherever possible, City Building aims to minimise the amount of waste created, by re-using or re-cycling where possible and only disposing of waste if absolutely necessary. For example, there has been an impressive 40 per cent reduction in gas consumption at City Building’s Springburn headquarters following the installation of modulating high efficiency gas boilers in September 2010.

Last year the company installed an innovative roll-packer machine at the Springburn plant, which can compress up to five times more waste than conventional methods at any one time. The machine, the first of its kind in Scotland, has increased the tonnage achieved in skips, whilst also reducing trips by City Building and its waste contractors to recycling sites, meaning fewer CO2 emissions.

(GK/KMcA)