The mixed recyclables sorting system at Casepak’s new $33 million Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Leicester, UK, has recently begun operation. As soon as its first week of operation, the system was exceeding design capacity by more than 20% while delivering high recovery rates and commodity purity. The facility is owned and operated by Casepak, a leading UK waste management company, and features a highly-automated, dual-function dry mixed recyclables sorting system designed, manufactured and installed by Bulk Handling Systems (BHS).

The facility began processing materials on September 12 and, due to the highly efficient and effective BHS design, Casepak is able to process material at rates significantly beyond the design capacity of 26 metric tons per hour. This high production rate is possible while still recovering well over 95% of the available commodities at extremely high purity levels. According to company officials, the new MRF more than doubles the quantity of material Casepak can handle and increases the number and type of materials processed.

“Our new MRF has been developed to meet the demands of changing collection systems at the same time ensuring we produce a quality end product,” says Kevin Thomas, Director – MRF Operations. “This is not a waste treatment facility – it’s a production process for essential materials and, as with any production process, quality is the key. Our system is based on a combination of robust screen and optical sorting technology to achieve the best possible quality output.”

According to Casepak officials, the new facility is the first in the UK to incorporate screening technology to recognize and separate the highly compacted plastic and metal food packaging found in household recycling collections.

“We are the first MRF to import this technology from the USA,” says Thomas “It ensures that items such as small plastic bottles and yogurt cups that are easily squashed during the collection process are identified and separated, ensuring that they are recovered and retain their resource value.”

The MRF also features the patented BHS De-Inking Screen® which separates fiber grades, another key factor in the purity of commodities, Thomas says. The system also includesa mixed fiber optical unit, a film handling system and a full optical container line for plastics recovery.

“The new facility will allow us to provide our customers with a wider waste and resource management solution for both the municipal and commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors,” says Mark Smith, Managing Director at Casepak. “We also anticipate that the business waste sector will grow, as government demands that they recycle more of their waste. Our new MRF will help to meet this increased demand, at the same time providing invaluable investment for the local area.”