A FORMULA 1 champion has visited a rubbish centre in Slough to find out about how waste is disposed following the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Sebastian Vettel had a tour of Grundon Waste Management in Colnbrook on Monday, July 19, after waste had been left behind the '350,000' spectators at Silverstone.
The four-time world champion got green-fingered swapping the steering wheel for a waste sack to help litter pick with the team and find out more information.
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Typically, by 11pm the night after a race day weekend, 90 per cent of Silverstone’s waste will have been collected by Grundon, and Sebastian was able to see how the waste is treated and, most importantly, how 100 per cent diversion from landfill can be guaranteed.
Sebastian said: “Following the litter-picking activities at Silverstone, it was important for me to understand what happens to the litter during the next stage. That is why I visited Grundon in Slough, one of the UK’s largest Waste Management Facilities.
“This was an opportunity to see first-hand what happens to all the waste we produce. I learned more about the recycling processes for certain materials and was introduced to the incineration process for litter that cannot be recycled – an alternative to waste being buried in landfill sites.
“Collecting the litter taught me a few things and reminded me how important it is to reduce waste in general. We can all make small changes and do our bit, such as using a refillable bottle or buying products wrapped in compostable packaging rather than plastic. Recycling is certainly important but should be the last not the first resort.”
The Formula 1 driver is on a mission to increase environmental awareness and, just prior to the British Grand Prix, he visited a primary school in Towcester, near the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula OneTM Team base, to talk to pupils about sustainability, answering questions and planting a tree, as well as donating reusable water bottles to all the children.
He is also an ambassador for the BioBienenApfel project, which creates new bee habitats, and earlier this summer joined pupils at a school near Austria’s Red Bull Ring circuit to build a bee hotel in the shape of a Formula 1TM racing car.
Anthony Foxlee-Brown, Head of Marketing and Communications for Grundon, said: “Sebastian was incredibly engaged and keen to see how our waste operation worked. It was very important to him that the waste he had helped collect on Sunday was not going to landfill, and we were able to reassure him that recycling, reuse and reprocessing is always our priority.
“It is clear that he cares deeply about environmental issues and we were delighted to play a small part in helping him understand more about how the circular economy works in this country, and to share some of the innovations and ideas that Grundon is investing in to further improve sustainability within the waste sector.”
During Sebastian’s visit, the group discussed the pros and cons of alternative fuels and Vettel was able to take a first-hand look at Grundon’s ultra-low emission hydrogen diesel dual-fuel waste collection vehicle, which is currently servicing customers across London.
Grundon’s fleet of waste collection vehicles is already certified CarbonNeutral and trials are due to begin shortly with a series of electric waste collection vehicles.
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