New buildings designed and constructed by Cardiff Harbour Authority undergo a sustainability audit to ensure sustainable and renewable energy options such as rainwater collection systems and solar energy are fully considered at an early stage to enable implementation.

An ongoing operation of the Harbour Authority is the removal of litter and debris from the water and adjacent banks of Cardiff Bay. This is achieved by using a specially equipped boat, which scoops up the debris with a mechanical arm. The vessel called 'Harbour 1' is in operation every day to keep the bay clear of debris, which is brought into the Bay from the rivers Taff and Ely.

Each year up to 1,000 tonnes of debris is recovered from the Bay. Before construction of the Barrage, this waste would have found its way into the Severn Estuary. Approximately 70% of this waste is wood, such as tree trunks, twigs and branches. The Harbour Authority has installed a biomass heating boiler (49 kW) and fuel system within the new Environment Building.

The Biomass installation is the predominate source of heating within the building, providing both hot water and space heating. The wood chip fuelled Biomass boiler is supplemented by a Solar heating panel. A total of 20 tonnes of wood chip will be fed into this boiler on an annual basis. The source of the wood chip will be from clean and bulky timber that is collected from the Bay.

The installation of the biomass boiler is just one project that is in line with the Council’s commitment to sustainability. It will result in less waste being disposed at landfill and is a ‘carbon-neutral’ technology since burning of timber does not increase carbon emissions, as the amount of carbon released equals that absorbed by plants as they grow.