SUEZ moves forward on Aberdeen MRFs
The two MRFs, scheduled to begin operations in April 2017, will be built at Aberdeen City Council’s Altens East Industrial Estate.
SUEZ is purchasing, operating and maintaining the MRF on behalf of Aberdeen City Council. In 2000, the council awarded SUEZ a 25-year contract to manage recycling, composting, treatment and disposal of the household waste for the local authority’s 228,000 residents. The company says that the new MRF will increase the city’s 37 per cent recycling rate to 56 per cent by 2020 and could save the city up to £5 million a year in landfill taxes.
The plans have been developed to meet aims set out in the Aberdeen City Waste Strategy, are part of the Aberdeen Recycling and Energy initiative and are in line with Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan, which includes a 70 per cent recycling target by 2025.
Facility details
The two facilities will include a single stream MRF that will treat commingled recyclables and a municipal solid waste (MSW) system that will produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF).
BHS says that the single stream system will feature a ‘variety of technology’ to maximize the recovery and purity of recyclable commodities. Screens, a Nihot drum separator and NRT In-Flight Sorting® optical sorters will be used to sort the recyclable waste. Screen, air and optical technologies will be utilised to break, extract and purify the glass included in the commingled kerbside collection. Technology will also be used to enhance fibre recovery, remove cardboard and plastics from the mixed fibre stream.
The system, designed to comply with the Scottish Government’s Code of Practice on Sampling and Reporting at Materials Recovery Facilities, features sampling, numerous scales to weigh inbound and outbound materials, and automated labeling of outbound bales.
BHS says the single stream MRF will process 60,000 tonnes-per-year and recover more than 95 per cent of available recyclables. The MSW facility will turn residual waste to RDF at an estimated rate of 80,000 tonnes per year.
Quality of materials ‘paramount’
BHS CEO Steve Miller said: “In the company’s design collaboration with BHS, SUEZ was clear from the onset that the total recovery and quality of commodities sent to market were paramount.
“This design and the technology included in this system affirm that commitment and SUEZ should be commended for its forward-thinking approach. The SUEZ Altens East MRF will be instrumental to Aberdeen reaching its recycling targets and stand as a shining example for other communities to follow.”
