Our materials recycling facilities are based upon the segregation, processing and decontamination of single stream and mixed recyclable materials. These materials typically include all forms of paper, card and cardboard, plastic film and hard plastics, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Our materials recycling facilities are based upon the segregation, processing and decontamination of single stream and mixed recyclable materials. These materials typically arise from local authorities collecting source segregated co-mingled recyclable waste from households, or dry single or mixed recyclables from businesses. These materials typically include all forms of paper, card and cardboard, plastic film and hard plastics, and ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Materials may be delivered direct for treatment or may be routed via intermediate transfer and bulking stations. Upon receipt at the treatment facility, the materials are subject to initial inspection to remove any large contrary materials that could contaminate the products or damage the treatment plant and process.
Processing of these materials involves a sequence of screening, size
separation, density separation and optical sorting systems, followed by
quality control to ensure the delivery of high purity and quality
materials to end-users.
Mechanical treatment
Mechanical treatment of wastes can take a variety of forms but generally involves the pre-shredding of bulk mixed waste to achieve initial size reduction and densification. This is followed by mechanical separation of materials by a combination of trommels and screens (rotating sieves) to separate materials by size, air classifiers to separate materials by density, and separators to remove particulate matter.
The primary outputs from mechanical processing of waste are small particulate matter, generally <10mm diameter, and comprising a high organic content (food, paper and cardboard), and solid recovered fuel; generally a mixture of paper, cardboard and plastics, shredded to a specific size range depending on the specific requirements of the plant receiving the fuel.
Mechanical treatment plants will also separate ferrous and non-ferrous metals and may facilitate the separation of some paper and cardboard, although contamination with glass and food waste often renders these materials unsuitable for recycling.
