H&A Recycling will install a new industrial scale Bio-Thermic Digester (BTD) from a major Advetec reseller Biozolve to reduce organic waste disposal costs by 400,000 every year.
This investment is expected to help the company reduce its transport, handling and landfill costs as well as reduce the organic content in its products and black bag waste.
Currently, about 4,000 tonnes of organic rich trommel fines have to be sent to landfills which cost the company surcharge premiums along with an amount of 120 per tonne. It processes a total of 24,000 tonnes of trade and black bag waste annually at its materials recycling facility (MRF) site in Redruth.
With the Advetec machine, the company will be able to digest and remove odour and organic contents from trommel fines which would also result in the discharge of clean water and an inert powdery residue. It has a processing capacity of 10 tonnes every day.
Speaking about the investment, Advetec CEO Craig Shaw said, "The Advetec Bio-Thermic Digester is the perfect solution for the control of odour and for the removal of organic content in co-mingled trade and black bag waste as well as sewage sludge, providing waste companies with more certainty and control over processing costs, and significant reductions in landfill and haulage."
Initial trials by the company showed a reduction of organic content in trommel fines by 87%. The remaining 13% was biologically inert and achieved a calorific value of around 12cv which could make it suitable for use as RDF or as an addition to biomass fuel.
H&A Recycling managing director Allan Holmes said: "As Cornwall's leading independent waste management and recycling company, zero landfill is the number one goal for H&A Recycling. The Advetec solution, as provided by BioZolve, is a significant step towards our 2014 targets.
"At the same time, it will give us far better control over any potential environmental issues at our site. The BTD will help us to control costs at a time when transport expenditure and landfill taxes for organic waste continue to rise."
