The UK aims to be a leading force in the fight against climate change. Since the introduction of the Climate Change Act (2008), we’ve cut emissions down by 40% while increasing the economy by two thirds. Thanks to EU regulation and the landfill tax. There is still much work to be done, the latest council review discovered some worrying insights that for instance, biodegradable waste sent to the landfill has increased by 2% since 2016.
The healthier and more environmentally friendly alternative is to send your waste to an RDF (Refuse-derived fuel) facility, which creates fuel from various types of waste including sanitary, industrial and commercial waste. To get a better insight into the work that’s done there. We sent members of our team along to an RDF facility in Dewsbury, to see what they’re all about.
Refuse Derived Fuel Process
Arrival
Upon arrival of the RDF facility, the first thing you’re greeted by are two large weighing scales – one on the way in, and one on the exit. These are to weigh the weight of trucks carrying waste as they come into the facility and do the same for the vehicles leaving the facility with the sorted and wrapped waste, which goes off to be either recycled, incinerated or if no other option can be taken – to landfill.
Trucks are constantly filtering through the weight checkers, from 6am until 12pm at night, with the facility processing around 200 tonnes of waste a week, which works out at around 70/80 bin lorries a day, plus additional skips and HGV sized drop-offs. It’s a hell of a lot of waste for a modestly sized facility.
After the bin lorries have dropped off their cargo, a group of workers begin segregating the waste by hand to look for materials that are not contaminated with food waste etc., that can be easily recycled. Doing this process by hand allows for arguably more precision and little to no downtime as opposed to using complex machinery to sort the waste automatically, which can quickly go wrong with the mix of leaking liquids and grime buildup. In an environment where the input never stops, it makes sense that the means to sort it doesn’t either.
RDF Waste Segregation
Different waste types are sent to different locations. Wood is diverted to a specific skip to be recycled, but not before being split into “good and bad wood” – good wood being pallets and other such items, and the latter being chipboard, MDF and various low-quality offcuts.
Organic materials are collected in a separate pile in the corner of the facility, which by 11 am was already sitting over 10ft tall.
Plastic was collected and stored together, along with other miscellaneous recycled materials.
Cardboard is collected in a pile to the left of the facility. We arrived at the facility at ~1030am, and the waste pile was already standing 20/30ft tall. We asked how long it had been sat there, presuming this was at least a week’s worth of waste – we were told that it arrived within the day, and will be sorted and recycled by the time the day is through.
RDF Machine
Once the waste is sorted up into the various recyclable materials and any waste destined for the landfill has been identified, which coincidentally is around 2 tonnes a week at this facility, the process of shredding and baling up the residue begins.
Giant machines pick up the waste material and load it into the shredder to help break it up into more manageable chunks to be bundled and transported.
Because the waste gets transported/recycled in plastic-wrap bales of about 5x5x5 foot, it’s essential that the shredder correctly reduces the size of the waste, so that it is easy to fit as much waste as possible into one baled cube. The shredder is continuously running, with giant claws waiting to load more waste throughout the day. Everything in the facility is non-stop. In our short visit, it was apparent that the stream of trucks, shredder conveyor belts, sorting hands of the workers and the giant claws and scoops of the machinery were always busy and operational, with no time for slowing down.
RDF Waste Bales
The waste is then diverted from a pile at the rear-end of the shredder into yet another machine, that aims to pick out little bits of food waste for composting, as well a giving the hygiene waste a bit of a mix-up and wash.
One of the final steps of the waste process is actually to compact the waste into manageable cubes. Another machine picks up the now sorted, food free waste and piles it into a compactor, which crushes the waste and wraps it in thin, but durable, green ties to hold it in place. Much like everything else in the facility, neither this machine nor its operators, stop throughout the day.
Little fork-lift sized machines trundle back and forth, continually taking the squared off and tied waste blocks over to the baler, which is the next step in the waste’s journey. Multiple yellow automobiles were rolling up, grabbing hold of, and wheeling away, wielding the little waste cubes, as fast as their small wheels, or 5MPH speed limit will allow them.
Their destination is the plastic-wrap machine, which after being loading with a cube of waste, proceeds to whirl around while releasing reams of plastic which neatly and mesmerisingly cling onto the hygiene waste, creating a tight vacuum seal around the waste.
Refuse Derived Fuel: Final Steps
The RDF is then used to help power homes and fuel businesses, reducing the likelihood of our use on conventional fossil fuels such as coal. Direct365 has recently partnered up with Lifecycle, which will take your hygiene waste (sanitary products, nappies, tampons) and convert it into RDF.
Converting the hygiene waste products into a highly efficient fuel in the form of RDF, instead of sending them to landfill, helps the UK keep in line with our environmental goals. It also helps businesses like yourselves reduce landfill costs and improve your corporate social responsibility.
Now that you’ve seen how it’s all done, why not sign your business up for a better tomorrow and get rid of your hygiene waste in a and practical manner.
Sign up to our expert washroom service today.
