Waste processor AVR swears by RED: 'I wouldn't know why you wouldn't do it'

AVR in Duiven, the Netherlands, processes 400,000 tons of household waste annually. Heat can then work its way into the mounds of household waste resulting in scalding and even fire. Yet, serenity reigns in the huge storage shed. Here, the RED camera keeps a razor-sharp eye on the temperature in the mounds of garbage. “Now we can take action even before the brewing phase,” says Manager of Logistics Monica Praat.

AVR specializes in processing various types of residual waste: wastewater, paper pulp residue, household and industrial waste, waste wood and hazardous residual waste. In the process, it also tries to recover as much energy and materials as possible from this residual waste. “Household waste remains continuously hazardous because it always contains organic materials,” Monica explains. “As the moisture in the waste gets hotter and hotter, the temperature rises causing it to smolder and burn. In doing so, incubation always starts inside.”

Firewatch

RED cameras now safeguard multiple locations, providing 24/7 temperature monitoring with quick service and seamless installation by Kooi.

After a short test period, RED cameras have now been installed in the Rotterdam, Utrecht and Duiven locations. Monica: “The drivers from Kooi are extremely tidy and also install the cameras themselves. Furthermore, the response time at Kooi is nice and quick and the level of service is high. It is now so that the RED is constantly scanning the temperature and I can watch it in the portal 24/7.” When stacks get hot colleagues shuffle the humps apart. If the fire is found it is extinguished with fire extinguishers.

24/7 full concentration

The RED thus fits perfectly into AVR's strict safety policy. “Previously, we hired a fire watchman to keep an eye on the dump. It is then the human factor that judges whether the temperature is safe,” Monica explains. “But a human cannot keep a fully concentrated eye on a monitor 24 hours a day. That's not doable. The RED can.” It also towers high above the waste piles and therefore sees more than a pair of human eyes at one meter eighty-five. Monica: “The other day there was a pile of waste with 40-degree heat while at the front of the pile it was 20 degrees. So when you stick the temperature lance in, my colleague measured that 20 degrees, not knowing that further down it was already brewing.”

Trend

With the RED and the portal, Monica has now become a veritable trend watcher. “You read the RED as it were and spot the trend. So we use it in the preventive phase.” This actually makes the fire extinguishers in the hall redundant. “If we use them, so much water enters the hall that all our waste becomes worthless. And waste is actually very valuable to us.” Account Manager Harry Kooistra of Kooi is pleased with AVR's experience. “So AVR really sees the RED as part of the work process. It is now impossible to imagine their business operations where it is all about prevention.”

Tools

So no more worries about fire at AVR. Alertness is still required, however. As always. “I wouldn't know why you wouldn't choose the RED,” Monica concludes her story. “The risk of fire cannot be underestimated. A hall has already burned down twice so we know what can happen. The damage you have then doesn't outweigh the pleasure of the camera. In terms of prevention, we now have many more tools at our disposal to prevent the fire from spreading. It gives peace of mind in the organization. The guard is also much more relaxed. He no longer has to do his rounds. The RED now watches....”

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