Novelis helps boost quality at Leeds MRF

Novelis is a supporter of the Campaign for Real Recycling which is very critical of recyclables from materials recycling facilities (MRFs) but the company says that the Leeds MRF is providing it with material of a high quality.

The HW Martin MRF handles dry recyclables, including aluminium cans, collected from several local authorities in and around Yorkshire, including commingled material collected from 330,000 households in Leeds on behalf of the city council.

Purpose-built

The baler provided by Novelis Recycling – which runs the aluminium can recycling plant in Warrington – has been integrated into the MRF's purpose-built can processing area, which has been specifically designed to maximise the output of good quality material.

Novelis receives an income from the sale of packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) which it is allowed to issue after the reprocessing of cans at Warrington and it then has to put this money back into the recycling system, such as in the HW Martin case.

The can sorting section of the Leeds MRF incorporates a shaking table, eddy current separator and two hand picking lines. The CP baler is used to bale clean cans to help maximise revenue by HW Martin.

Quality

Les Brown, manager of the plant, told letsrecycle.com that the process of sorting the cans was important to achieve high quality. “At Leeds we are able to achieve nearly 100% pure aluminium but it does take some work.

“The eddy current separator will take out other materials along with the cans, such as foil, cat food pouches, Tetrapaks and other contrary materials. We run all the material into a medium-sized bunker and then it is all run again by conveyor onto another conveyor for hand sorting to achieve high standards of cans.”

Novelis business development executive Bob Meath said: “HW Martin has been a supplier of quality used beverage cans to us for several years and we are pleased to be able to help their MRF in Leeds by supplying this baling equipment. The Leeds facility is an excellent example of how a MRF can be planned and set up to successfully separate high quality aluminium cans from co-mingled collection.”

HW Martin, director Mark Faulconbridge says: “We are grateful to Novelis for their support with our Leeds MRF.  The new baler is helping our operation immensely, not only because it enables us to improve  the  efficiency of our materials handling but also because supplying baled aluminium cans attracts a higher price from Novelis.

“It also proves that despite recent publicity, commingled material can successfully be separated to meet the high standards required within the recycling industry.”