AbitibiBowater unveils pioneering source separation

Traditionally, it has been hard to collect plastics and card through source-separated recycling collection systems because they take up a lot of space on the collection vehicles, which do not have the ability to compact the material.

However, for the last twelve weeks, the council's recycling contractor, AbitibiBowater, has been running a service in which it uses a split body compaction vehicle for plastics and card in tandem with its ordinary stillage vehicle – thereby providing ample room for all materials.

The service was unveiled by AbitibiBowater to councillors and industry professionals on Wednesday (June 18), when the firm explained that it had already helped to create a dramatic increase in recycling rates.

Since its inception, the project has collected in the region of 24 tonnes of mixed materials a week per vehicle and 10 tonnes of plastics and cardboard, the firm explained.

“We are experiencing increases in the order of 20% over the previous operator on the original materials collected,” said Mandy Kelly, AbitibiBowater business development director at the ‘Recycling in Action' roadshow.

“With the addition of new plastics and cardboard collections we anticipate increasing Nuneaton and Bedworth recycling rates quite substantially,” she added.

System

The system covers around 2,500 properties at present and involves two separate vehicles running in tandem on a weekly basis.

One, a Dennis Eagle Phoenix High Capacity Twin Pack, collects card and plastics in a 30/70 per cent ratio and the other, a stillage vehicle, collects and sorts all other recyclates at the kerbside.

“Since we went to collecting plastics and cardboard we have got people phoning up saying they don't need such a big wheeled bin,” said Peter Benham, assistant director for public amenities at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

Despite the vast increase in recycling rates there are calls to further educate the general public on the merits and methods of the service.

David Jaffa, AbibitiBowater's UK operations manager, said: “If you put the information through their door what tends to happen is people don't read it and if that is the only way that a council is going to try to put that across then there will be issues. You can't educate enough.”

Transfer

The collected materials are taken to a transfer centre at Sketchley Meadows, Hinckley. The facility, which was established in partnership by Abitibi and Ward Recycling, is where the recyclates are piled in bays of green, brown and clear glass, paper and plastics.

From here the materials are then transferred to AbitibiBowater's Bridgewater mill or to other companies for recycling.

Seventeen local authorities were represented on the day, all of whom currently operate a different method of collecting recycling.

Cllr Alan Craw, Chesterfield Borough Council, admitted that he had reservations over how the system would cope with the differing types of plastic but a number were impressed by the perceived efficiency of the scheme.

Straight

At the event in Hinckley, bin supplier Straight Plc took the opportunity to invite the assembled guests to comment on its prototype designs for waste receptacles which might be used for a source-separated collection service.

The demonstration, entitled ‘Thinking Outside the Box', showed a handful of the 73 projects that Straight currently has in development and the company's attempts to address the comingled/kerbside collection debate.

“In the last two years we have seen some real steps forward in container evolution,” said Tom Musgrove, Straight's director of national accounts. “Other companies tend not to be as open as we are with developments.”

Designs

Taking into account the needs of householders, health and safety regulations and the drivers behind containers' evolution, Mr Musgrove showcased a number of products designed to cater for all these different elements.

The 55 or 40 litre ‘inner caddy', with the latter being successful trialled over six months in Nottingham, nestles in the top of a standard 240 litre wheeled bin and is designed with lessening the strain on the collection crew in mind. The caddy aims to provide an extra receptacle without taking up any additional floor space.

Straight have noted the implications for the caddy system dealing with food waste and they are discussing as to how food waste caddies could best be utilised. This follows Hinckley and Bosworth Borough council and Harborough District council, respectively, expanding their trials of Straight's 23 litre ‘kerbside caddy' and 5 litre ‘kitchen caddy' by 12 months.

Response

Eager to canvas the assembled councillors and industry professionals Mr Musgrove opened the floor to questions and comments on the diverse range of sample models he had brought along.

Gillian Coates, South Derbyshire District council, raised a concern for many in the room about the cleanliness of the caddy. Ms Coates feared that the ‘inner caddy' would come into contact with residual waste by nestling on top of the existing waste in the 240 litre wheeled bin and people wouldn't want to take it back into their homes after use.

John Bugby, Kettering Borough council, argued that fixing the caddy to the outside would be a more effective measure.

Mr Musgrove insisted that the projects presented were very much at the developmental stage and was very appreciative of the feedback from those assembled.