How canals are being recycled to transport London waste

Once used to transport goods across the country to and from the capital city's traders, recent investment in London's canal network by Transport For London (TFL), British Waterways and waste and recycling specialist Powerday, has seen one stretch of the grand union canal transformed into a main artery for waste transportation in the capital. Almost 14 years after Powerday first secured the lease for the redevelopment of the four hectares of contaminated brownfield site known as the Old Oak Sidings in Willesden Junction, north-west London, barges laden with waste from construction sites across the capital have been arriving for recycling. The barges dock at Powerday's specially constructed industrial size wharf, situated on its new purpose-built waste re-handling facility. The construction of the wharf was made possible thanks to a joint funding arrangement with TFL and British Waterways that has allowed Powerday to access the 26-mile lock-free stretch of the Grand Union Canal. Running from Slough to Camden, with access points available at key strategic sites, each barge can transport up to 50 tonnes of construction waste.