AWM super MRF opens in Leeds

The 12.5 million facility, deemed a super MRF, will be capable of sorting up to 200,000 tonnes of recyclables a year which will come from nearby Calderdale, Bradford and Leeds city councils with whom AMW has recently signed contracts. AWM will be processing waste from approximately 250,000 households in the region.

The new plant will help AWM to work towards zero waste to landfill through improved recovery of recyclables and by diverting organic matter to be composted. It will also convert residues currently going to landfill into refuse derived fuel (RDF) which can go on to power energy from waste (EfW) plants and power stations both in the UK and overseas.

AWM currently processes in excess of 320,000 tonnes of waste but 25% of this waste ends up in landfill. The company hopes to reduce this figure to less than 5% through the use of the plant in Leeds which they claim will allow them to further refine the quality of the recycled products.

The facility was opened by Morley and Outwood MP, Ed Balls, and will create 50 new jobs once it reaches capacity.

At the plant, materials will progress via a series of conveyors entering several screens and air drum separators, which separate materials according to their specific density. The plant also includes electromagnets for metal items, eddy current separators for non-ferrous material alongside other pieces of kit that will enable increased quantities of smaller materials otherwise not recycled in the past. Automation provides the ability to sort materials where it would prove uneconomic to sort by hand and incorporates infra red and spectrum photography to separate grades of plastic.

AWM

AWM has tripled in size over the past three years mainly due to the acquisitions of companies including Just Recycling Group, Aero Waste Disposal and Leeds Environmental Organisation. Tim Shapcott, business development director, said: Through acquiring these companies we have benefitted from economies of scale, increased geographical coverage and a client base of industrial and commercial customers.

AWM is an independent company which was founded in 2000 by John Brooksbank and provides waste management, recycling and EfW services to companies throughout North and West Yorkshire and on the M62 corridor between Halifax and Selby.

The company operates traditional collection services, aided by its 40 strong vehicle fleet, as well as landfill and quarry operations. AWM also operates a mobile compaction service which deals with light industry such as pubs, retail units and small industrial facilities.