M.D.J. Light Bros, which runs the plant in a quarry on the outskirts of Lewes, hope to push the figure up to 200,000 this year. Publicity surrounding 'f;ridge mountains' and heightened public awareness of the environmental dangers have resulted in unprecedented demand for the specialist industry, says the company.
The plant, which has been operational for fourteen months, is one of only two in the country to have been awarded the RAL Quality Mark for the Demanufacture of End-of-Life Refrigeration Equipment. This is at present a non-essential qualification, but is being developed across Europe and requires a stringent level of eco-friendly compliance. Light Bros. say the site was the first in Britain to conform to quality standards relating to all processes of fridge demanufacturing.
The site, which employs up to 16 people at any one time, uses refrigerator and freezer demanufacturing systems made by German environmental services company SEG. The machinery, which is geared towards extracting the maximum possible levels of CFC from each unit, was purchased at a cost of 2 million.
Director Jonathan Light said the process at the site had a higher CFC extraction level than at any other in the country. He added: “Our priority is dealing with CFCs. We have the best machinery for their recovery, and will continue to place emphasis on this aspect of demanufacturing.”
The stripping process at the plant enables over 90% of each unit to be forwarded for recycling or re-use, including plug flex and mesh shelving. End markets for the separated products vary considerably; the ferrous steel, for example, is sold domestically while some compressors go to Pakistan and China.
SITA is responsible for the collection and delivery of the pre-processed fridges, which arrive on a daily basis. Light Bros. envisages a surplus of fridges for the foreseeable future.
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