UK Recycling Boosted by Germany

UK firms will have to buy German-made airtight shredding machines to dispose of millions of old refrigerators to comply with a new European law that came into effect Jan. 1.

The ruling requires that discarded appliances containing CFC foam insulate must be disposed of in a way that prevents the gas from escaping into the atmosphere. No such equipment exists in Great Britain, meaning the mountain of disused appliances is growing at the rate of 6,500 a day.

The use of CFCs in liquid refrigerant and foam insulate was banned in the mid 1990s. Last year however, it was agreed the disposal of fridges containing the CFC foam insulate should be regulated from the beginning of 2002.

Industry now estimates more than 2.6 million obsolete units will need to be disposed of each year.

Graham Davy, managing director of Staffordshire-based recycling company Sims Metal said he expects to have the first nitrogen atmosphere recycling system operating in southwest England by July.

The machine plus its housing and other infrastructure will cost around $4.3 million and according to Davy will offer the UK's first recycling service of its type.

'It is programmable logic controller operated, and can process 60-70 units an hour, which is 300,000 units a year. We have an option on a second system to boost capacity up to 600,000 a year.'

There are two approaches to disposing of CFC foam. Both use shredding, but one uses activated carbon filters to absorb the foam. The alternative is to seal the shredder inside an airtight nitrogen-filled chamber to prevent CFC release.

In Davy's system, after shredding, the metal from the fridge is separated from the plastic and the foam by magnets. Both plastic and foam are then milled down to a fine dust and incinerated.

The company opted for the nitrogen atmosphere because it wanted to ensure it implemented the toughest recommended guidelines.

These also include airlocks and time locks for access to the airtight recycling system. In the event of a malfunction, air can be pumped into the chamber to avoid the need for breathing apparatus. These guidelines were set down by the Department of the Environment's consultants.

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SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

But Sims Metal will face stiff competition from Dutch firms who want to offer a CFC refrigerator recycling service to other countries. Only the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden have recycling centers ready now. Twelve of the 15 EU states have been caught out by the law's swift introduction.