Suez’s Recycling & Recovery U.K. division has selected Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), based in Eugene, Oregon, USA, to design, engineer, manufacture and install two material recovery facilities (MRFs) at Aberdeen City Council’s Altens East Industrial Estate, south of Aberdeen, Scotland. Scheduled to begin operations in April 2017, the single-stream MRF will process 20 tonnes-per-hour (tph) of commingled recyclables, while the municipal solid waste (MSW) system is set to process 30 tph to produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF), BHS reports.
The single-stream system features a variety of technology designed to maximise the recovery and purity of recyclables. Included are BHS screens, a Nihot Single Drum Separator and NRT In-Flight Sorting optical sorters. Screen, air and optical technologies will be used to break, extract and purify the glass included in the commingled kerbside collection, BHS says. NRT technology also will automate and enhance fibre recovery, with an NRT ColorPlus removing cardboard from news and pams, and an NRT SpydIR to remove plastics from the mixed fibre stream.
The system, which BHS says is designed to comply with the Scottish Government’s Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities, features sampling, numerous scales to weigh inbound and outbound materials and automated labelling of outbound bales.
The single-stream MRF will process 60,000 tonnes per year (tpy) and recover more than 95% of available recyclables, the company says. The MSW system will process 80,000 tpy.
“In the company’s design collaboration with BHS, Suez was clear from the onset that the total recovery and quality of commodities sent to market were paramount,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “This design and the technology included in this system affirm that commitment, and Suez should be commended for its forward-thinking approach. The Suez Altens East MRF will be instrumental to Aberdeen reaching its recycling targets and stand as a shining example for other communities to follow.”
Suez is purchasing, operating and maintaining the MRF on behalf of Aberdeen City Council. In 2000, the council awarded Suez a 25-year contract to manage recycling, composting, treatment and disposal of the household waste for the local authority’s residents, which now number more than 228,000 people. The new MRF is designed to increase the city’s 37% recycling rate to 56% by 2020 and could save the city up to £5 million annually in landfill taxes, BHS states in a news release. The plans have been developed to meet the aims set out in the Aberdeen City Waste Strategy, are part of the Aberdeen Recycling and Energy initiative and are in line with Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan, which includes a 70% recycling target by 2025.
