Tomra Sorting Recycling and Stadler UK have been selected for recycling construction waste

Having already worked on several projects around the world, STADLER and TOMRA worked together from the start to ensure that the facilities and equipment would meet VIRIDOR's specific requirements.

With its new plant, VIRIDOR was able to increase its capacity from 65.000 tonnes / year to 75.000 tonnes / year (i.e. 17 tonnes / hour). The plant is operating at full capacity. The quality of production has been considerably improved thanks to the new TOMRA equipment.

The treated materials arrive mixed, they are supplied by the County of Suffolk. They first go through a mechanical separation process, comprising a metering drum, a STADLER PPK ballistic separator, a screening drum, STADLER STT 2000 ballistic separators, overband magnets and eddy current separators. After this mechanical separation step, comes the air separation step, then sorting with optical sensors, the newly installed TOMRA AUTOSORT® machines.

Previously, three TOMRA optical sorters were already in place. They have been replaced by 11 new TOMRA AUTOSORT® units. Except one, relatively recent (4 years), which just required a software update.

The production lines have been programmed to separate mixed fibers (cardboard-type materials, mixed paper, newspapers and brochures) and sort plastics by polymer type (PET, HDPE, hard plastics, films, jars, bins and tray ...).

The AUTOSORT® system incorporates the latest TOMRA technologies to deliver advanced precision for complex, high-speed sorting tasks. AUTOSORT® provides consistent precision for all targeted material fractions, even in complex flows, where conventional technologies are generally unsuccessful.

The sorting result goes through a final quality control before being baled ready for transport to end customers based in the UK. Waste is sent for incineration or landfill.

Thanks to the installation of this new equipment, VIRIDOR benefits from tangible operational advantages:

• Increase in throughput (10.000 additional tonnes per year)
• Purity of the fractions obtained. For example, we obtain an almost perfect rate, at 98,5%, on newspapers and brochures, and at 95% on polymers, such as PET, HDPE and mixed plastics.
• Profitability gains, resulting from full plant operation
• Reduced risk of plant downtime
• Flexibility in production, allowing it to adapt to market changes and incoming material flows
• Lower costs, thanks to the sorting of PET and HDPE carried out on site, instead of being sent to another group plant as before.

Steven Walsh, Sales Engineer at TOMRA Sorting Recycling, comments: "We worked very well with STADLER on this project, having already collaborated both nationally and internationally. Before the renovation, this VIRIDOR site could only automatically sort plastics and it depended on manual sorting for cardboard and paper. . Today we have one of the most automated factories in the UK. By integrating TOMRA's equipment and technical expertise, VIRIDOR can produce top quality materials ready to be reintegrated into the circular economy. "

Benjamin Eule, Director of STADLER UK Limited, adds: “We managed the overall project, from shutting down the plant to providing a more modern turnkey solution. It was one of the shortest lead times in our history! 'It took only three months between the initial discussion and the signing of the contracts, then another 5 months to start the project on site. In two weeks of shutdown, we have redesigned everything except for one of TOMRA's optical sorters onto which the latest version of the software was simply downloaded. The project - including the demolition of old equipment - took a total of 80 days. We installed a new metal frame, conveyors and all components required for the process. We also managed the commissioning processes. "

Derek Edwards, Director of VIRIDOR RECYCLING, said: "This is by far the most significant investment made on a construction site waste treatment site in England in recent years. VIRIDOR is focusing on developing opportunities to reintroduce materials from recycling into the production circuit We view waste as a resource and, thanks to Suffolk's commitment to recycling, we are well positioned to make the most of the recycling of Sufolk County waste, and to sell these materials to end customers based in United Kingdom. The investment plan aimed to increase the capacity of the plant, but also to adapt the quality to market requirements. The plant has the same raw materials as before, but can now process 10 tonnes of more per year. We are delighted with its performance. "