Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Conveyors, Granulators, Separators, Sorters and Screens

Balers are found in virtually every recycling site across the UK performing an essential task in making material easier to handle and transport. And, with more producers of recyclable materials, such as shopping centres and distribution outlets, recognising the advantage of baling on site, more smaller machines are now being sought after. Usually smaller loads will be catered for by the provision of vertical balers which are mainly loaded at the front and have a smaller footprint than the larger horizontal machines. Considerations to take into account with horizontal balers are the total height of the machine, noise levels from the baler, loading (whether by hand, small conveyor or by forklift) and the space needed for servicing and the type of materials likely to be compacted. More powerful machines will also provide a denser bale which may be more suitable in meeting mill specifications.

Conveyors form the vital link in larger materials recycling facilities down to smaller sites where a conveyor is needed to load a baler or move material.

Conveyors can be fixed or be mobile and are driven in different ways including by a motor driven roller, a chain system and by a belt.

Different widths are available depending on throughput and the number of pickers that may be required on picking lines. The belts themselves are usually made of rubber or PVC and

Crushers and compactors: there are differences within the recycling and waste handling industry over the terminology involved with the term ‘crusher’ and some companies consider compactors to be crushers.

Compactors and crushers can be static or portable and also include simple compression units as well as jaw crushers more for construction material.

Specific designs are also used for wet materials such as food waste and organics and some units are designed to operate on a small footprint while in contrast, others can handle high volume of feedstock.

Overall, crushers and compactors significantly reduce the numbers of containers needed so can help cut transport costs and also minimise the need for container movements on site, especially where access is limited or the public may be present.

Size reduction through granulation is essential for a number of materials going through the recycling process. A range of materials can be handled through granulation and these primarily consist of used plastics, waste tyres and wire cables. And, different styles of cutting technologies are offered.

Plastic reprocessors will pay appropriately for consistent and clean quality recycled material which has been granulated to a designated specification. Similarly, the granulating of tyres can make the material easier to move and also ready in some instances for energy from waste solutions as well as crumb recycling processes. Cable granulation will separate metals, typically copper, from plastic sheathing to recover the metal which has consistently had a strong value with markets for the plastic material also developing.

Shredders can provide solutions akin to those provided by granulators but can handle an even wider range of materials and produce material in strips.

With the size of product and the need to reduce volume a common feature of recycling for ease of process and transportation, shredders provide an essential operation.

They are available for materials including metals, such as copper, aluminium and stainless steel, but they are more often used in the organics sector including wood and wood pallets, and also for paper, cardboard, tyres and plastics. Other capabilities include shredding domestic and even hospital waste for refused derived fuel operations.

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