In the UK, Tom White, a Coventry City Council owned commercial waste solutions specialist based in Coventry, has partnered with UNTHA UK, a subsidiary of Austria-headed shredder specialists UNTHA shredding technology GmbH (UNTHA) to enhance the capabilities of its material handling on-site.
Approximately 180 tonnes of commercial, industrial, and demolition (C&I and C&D) waste — sourced from the local area — pass through Tom White’s facility each day.
After being shredded down to a 300mm particle size, the material is sorted by size and density, before extracting and segregating heavy fractions and valuable commodities to be redistributed into the supply chain.
Through the use of its on-site materials recovery facilities (MRFs), Tom White can recover recyclables such as cardboard, plastics (rigids and films), wood, and metals (ferrous and non-ferrous) with the residual waste being leveraged for alternative fuel production to reduce the number of reusable materials that end up in landfills.
Valorize residual fractions
Previously, the remaining residual fractions were transported to another waste management company.
Now, with the UNTHA XR3000C, the material can be further refined on-site and transformed into a homogeneous feedstock, less than 50 mm in particle size, for solid recovered fuel (SRF).
Achieving throughputs of 60 tonnes per day – with capabilities of up to 80 tonnes on a single shift, the shredder also enables Tom White to target processed material from other waste management specialists.
Bypassing the materials recovery facility (MRF), the material is mixed with the light residual fractions generated by the plant itself, enabling it to ultimately produce a greater volume of fossil fuel substitutes.
Overall, the circularity of Tom White Waste’s operations has been enhanced. Up to 75 percent more energy efficient than diesel-hydraulic shredders, the electric-drive XR3000C has improved the carbon footprint of the facility, while laying the groundwork for future-proofed on-site SRF production.
As well as something mobile, we wanted a tried-and-tested shredder that could withstand the high volumes of waste passing through our facility. Having seen the UNTHA XR in action on other sites, we knew it promised the resilience for tough operating conditions and a consistent SRF output. The question was whether it could keep pace with the tonnage we wanted to put through it — a challenge that, so far, it is living up to, explained Michael Trueman, Head of Production at Tom White Waste.
As a group, UNTHA’s commitment to engineering a sustainable future has seen more than 9,000 shredders installed worldwide.
Applications include the processing of municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and industrial (C&I) waste for alternative fuel production, wood pallet shredding, confidential waste destruction, and the recycling of waste and electronic equipment (WEEE), to name just a few.
From a cost perspective, the UNTHA Finance package was an attractive benefit for us too — and not just because we can budget accurately. We have wrapped a five-year service plan into our investment — including three site visits per annum, complete with full machine inspection and service, plus oil and filter change — for ultimate peace of mind, ended Michael Trueman.
