An efficient and effective facility relies on a wide variety of mechanical handling techniques and technologies.
MRFs may be high- or low-technology facilities, depending on the sophistication of plant and equipment employed and the numbers of staff working in the operation. Fortunately, those diverse entities, not to mention the difficulties encountered in their operation, can be made much more efficient as well as safer and cleaner with the help of technological advances. This article is a primer to help owners and managers with the implementation of those advances.
The Long Arm of Recycling
“If you really think about it, what is a transfer station but a place where stuff is moved from one place to another?” says Mike Kogutkiewicz, president of Crane Equipment Corp. in National City, CA, which specializes in manufacturing Grizzly knuckleboom cranes, whether they be stationary or truck mounted. Grizzly cranes are built primarily to service the solid waste and logging industries.
“Cranes serve a lot of purposes beside just picking things up and putting them down someplace else,” Kogutkiewicz says. “Cranes can be instrumental in lifting, rearranging, and sorting. Just because you’ve used a crane to pick something up and put it down doesn’t mean it’s job is done. Different loads can call for different applications. Regardless, the end result needs to be a maximum load, and a crane can help someone accomplish that.”
Kogutkiewicz gives the example of loads of tar shingles versus wood, whereas one might take a heavier load in less space than another.
“A crane can help users fine-tune a load to make sure you’re carrying the maximum load that a truck will allow,” he explains. “And we can’t forget that many municipalities have ordinances that require open trucks to be covered over a load, which requires leveling on the top to allow spreading a tarp in order to cover the load and prevent puncturing the tarp.”
Safety is also a prime consideration when considering uses of a crane. For example, although materials can be loaded into a truck, frequently they need to be shifted and moved after loading. A crane, instead of a worker, can be used to move materials, thus preventing injuries due to cave-ins.
Further, Grizzly cranes can be manufactured to user-specific requirements, including special buckets or other attachments.
Keeping a Lid on It
Needless to say, keeping an operating site habitable for equipment and supplies, not to mention the people who work there, is a preoccupation for many managers.
Wes Owen, the national sales manager of Accu-Steel in Templeton, IA, produces steel-framed, fabric-covered buildings for a wide variety of uses. These buildings range in clear span widths from 42 feet to 188 feet and have no limitations on length.
“All Accu-Steel buildings are fully engineered, and we use nothing but the highest-quality materials available and are backed by a 15-year warranty,” Owen says. “This is important when you consider the applications, as well as other things like the weather, that these will be exposed to. That’s why our buildings are used for such diverse purposes, including recycling and solid waste transfer.”
Owen is careful to explain the difference between the buildings his company produces, compared with such alternatives as Quonset huts often considered by clients. “Other structures have their benefits, and if something like a Quonset hut fills the bill, fine. But there are unique benefits to a cloth-covered steel building that other structures don’t offer, such as weather protection, temperature control, and keeping birds out.”
Similarly, protecting materials from the elements is the purpose of Cover-All Building Systems of Saskatoon, SK, which also produces steel-framed, fabric-covered buildings for protecting materials. According to Craig Stewart, online marketing manager, “Our covers are used around the world to protect practically everything from agricultural equipment and products to recycling operations.”
A Little Air Will Do You
Buffalo Turbine has manufactured turbine-style sprayers and dusters since 1945. The Monsoon line of dust suppression equipment has a distinct advantage over other equipment. Its gyratory atomizing nozzle can produce billions of droplets of water or other fluids, uniform in size, which are a key factor in suppressing airborne dust particulates as well as distributing many types of odor neutralizers for odor control at waste transfer stations, landfills, and composting facilities. Monsoon Systems are available in gasoline, diesel, electric, PTO, and hydraulic and are lightweight, making them easily maneuverable around a job site. Buffalo Turbine Monsoon Misting equipment is American made and manufactured by Buffalo Turbine LLC, at Springville, NY.
Planning Ahead
Want to know what a stink really is? Give the public a whiff of some putrid waste and wait for the phone to ring. It’s hard enough getting a waste facility permitted in the first place, so it makes sense to be proactive when it comes to public relations chores such as litter management—and even more critical for in-town operations: odor control.
For the company Waste Management, environmental protection and public perception, along with being “good neighbors” is priority one with its transfer station operations.
“Good housekeeping and proper operations is most important. But where an active odor control system is warranted, Benzaco Scientific has been an approved vendor of ours for over 12 years. We typically call upon Benzaco for their expertise and technology for our most challenging projects,” said Gary Hater, senior director of BioSites, Bioreactors, and New Technology for Waste Management.
The Doremus Avenue Recycling and Transfer (DART) facility in Newark, NJ, is a brand-new rail-served transfer station utilizing EnviroSolutions Inc.’s bale and rail technology. Over 98% of the outbound waste is transported via rail to an internal landfill in Kentucky.
In order to minimize odors during transportation and unloading, ESI Waste, partnered with Washington, DC–based Benzaco Scientific to design and install an automated spraying system to apply Benzaco’s OCC BEL directly to the shredded waste prior to being baled.
OCC BEL is a proprietary blend of essential oils, enzymes, and bacteria specially selected to minimize the anaerobic formation of odors while the trash is in transit from DART to the landfill. “We’re in a unique situation here at DART,” says Casey Gregory of ESI. “Transient odors from the transfer station operations are not what we’re treating. We’re treating the garbage prior to being baled and wrapped in plastic. We feel this methodology achieves better results than simply spraying the exterior of our bales. What we are trying to combat or eliminate is the odor when bales are broken at the landfill. Benzaco has been instrumental in the process from day one.”
Polarizing Products
Whether you want to protect downstream equipment from tramp iron or separate metals for recycling, Dings Co. Magnetic Group of Milwaukee, WI, produces magnets in several configurations that separate aluminum from other nonferrous metals from nonmagnetics.
“One of the most important elements of the recycling process is separating the materials received, between recyclables from nonrecyclables, and even among recyclables a big part is separating metals from nonmetals,” says Harold Bolstad, sales manager of the firm. “In those cases, using magnets in the separation process is an obvious choice. It’s quick, easy, and kind of foolproof, especially when compared with other methods.”
Dings offers products that range from 6-inch grates to 17-ton systems and also include magnetic sweepers for material handling.
“Good magnetic equipment can do a lot to help the recycling process,” Bolstad explains. “It’s important to separate materials effectively in as few sweeps as possible, but good separation can not only speed up the recycling process, but it can protect equipment from damage by keeping equipment clear of metals.”
Also a leader in the magnetic movement systems industry is Erie, PA–based Eriez Manufacturing Co., which produces magnetic, vibration, and floatation devices that move, remove, and concentrate materials.
According to Mike Shadduck, product manager of the company’s heavy-equipment division, “Our products help the recycling process not only by feeding, but also by inspecting and separating products using metal detection and x-ray technology.”
Shadduck adds that, in addition to municipal clients, his company works with numerous municipalities and private industries around the world.
Shaking It Up
If it doesn’t stick, and you still need to move it, try shaking it to separate it. That’s the idea of General Kinematics Corp. in Crystal Lake, IL, which produces innovative process solutions for the recovery of renewable resources.
Tom Musschoot, sales and marketing manager, explains, “There are a lot of materials out there that don’t respond to magnetics and other methods. Fortunately, even as old as it is, being able to separate them using movement is a good method.”
Riviere-du-Loup, QC–based Premier Tech Ltd. features its ERIN Recycling product line, the Industrial Equipment Group of Premier Tech that custom-designs and builds complete recycling systems. System specialties include bagging, bag-opening, and pelletizing equipment for recycling facilities, according to David Levesque, marketing supervisor for Premier Tech LTD.
Moving It Along
Differing in philosophy, but with the same goal of movement is Keith Manufacturing Co. of Madras, OR, which produces its flagship Walking Floor.
According to sales representative Larry Farrell, “I think one of the major benefits of our Walking Floor products is that it allows users to move materials directly from a source onto a moving platform, which in turn will move it on to wherever it is needed.”
Keith’s Walking Floor uses reciprocating slats that move products along a course, at the same time preventing overloads and jams. Farrell says the floor is made up of aluminum or steel slats, measuring 3.5 inches to 7-inches in width and capable of handling loads upwards of 50,000 pounds.
“With the Walking Floor system, you could unload a 48-foot trailer in less than five minutes,” Farrell says. “This makes it a great tool for transfer stations and loading bins and carriers of all kinds.”
There was a time when having a conveyor system for moving products from one place to another meant the use of a belt. Not anymore. Thanks in large part to O’Fallon, MO–based Hustler Conveyor, as the needs of the industry have changed, so has the technology.
Hustler offers a full line of conveyors featuring different technologies to fit customer needs, according to Peggy Stahlmuth, marketing manager for the company.
Machinex Industries Inc., located in Plessisville, QC, offers complete, custom-engineered sorting and recycling systems. Machinex is an industry leader in the design of recovery facilities.
“Machinex custom-designs everything from individualized equipment to complete recycling facilities for clients around the world,” says Gaetan Bolduc, vice president and business development manager for the firm. “Whether a client is looking for a conveyor, a baler, or a complete system, or just design help, we can provide the answer to their needs.”
Maxima, Minima
Let’s face it, the whole point of MSW management is to maximize resource recovery and to minimize landfill content. A major player in that effort is Eugene, OR–based Bulk Handling Systems, which has the goal of keeping 70% of waste out of landfills and capturing 90%–99% of high-value commodities like PET plastics in the first pass of the separation process.
According to representative Sue West, “BHS equipment is known for recovering more than 70% of recyclable and compostable material from municipal solid waste. This means less goes to landfills.” BHS designs, manufactures, and installs equipment designed for extracting recyclables from waste materials while minimizing the residue that hits landfills.
Block to Pieces and Back Again
If you have something that’s a chunk, but needs to be shredded, or vice versa, shredders and briquetters will do the job. Regardless, Weima America Inc. of Fort Mill, SC, has for 25 years focused its business on the art of shredding and briquetting, always striving to improve the art as well as the technology of these processes.
“We built a variety of shredding as well as briquetting equipment,” says Vikki Van Dam, sales representative of the company. “After all, no two jobs are ever exactly the same. But fortunately, there are different designs that can remain constant, which provide equality in quality in the jobs they do.”
Weima shredders handle such diverse materials as plastics, wood, paper and cardboard, and waste, according to Van Dam. “Our equipment is used by a lot of different types of industries, in private as well as municipal settings.
But what if your need is the opposite? Instead of shredding, you need to make something loose into briquettes? Weima also produces briquetters that bind such loose waste as dust or shavings, reducing mess and increasing safety—and frequently saving considerable amounts of money in the process.
“By briquetting materials, volumes can be reduced by up to 90%. This creates a substantial savings on disposal costs,” she says. “Obviously, when you have more load and less air in a shipment, more can be added and less transportation costs are incurred.”
Cubing is also the business of Dinuba, CA–based Warren & Baerg Manufacturing, which produces systems primarily for agricultural and industrial applications.
According to Randy Baerg, president of the company, “Our company produces cubers that can handle a variety of products, especially agricultural crops, especially alfalfa. On the industrial side, our equipment can compact a variety of materials that are most commonly used as energy sources.”
Warren & Baerg’s equipment, most notably the Model 250 Cuber, can process a variety of such materials as paper, newsprint, cardboard, woodwaste, municipal solid waste, and sludge wastes at rates of 4 to 7 metric tons per cuber per hour. The cubes these machines produce have fuel characteristics similar to coal or wood fuel, and can be used in most industrial boilers.
Using fuel cubes in these dimensions not only reduces the volume of waste going into landfills, but also creates a “green” alternative source of energy.
Vecoplan LLC, located in High Point, NC, is the creator of the slow-speed, single-shaft rotary grinder/shredder and, as a result, an additional array of wood grinders, chippers, plastic grinders, and granulators.
According to Kim James, marketing director for the firm, “Our machines are normally used at the beginning of the process in grinding and shredding of wood, paper, plastic, and other materials.
In a Pinch
Compacting, whatever the product might be, is the sole purpose of Marathon Equipment Co. of Vernon, AL. It doesn’t matter whether users want smaller compactors for the likes of apartments or larger compactors for industrial application that are often called upon to move more than 100 cubic yards of uncompacted dry waste materials.
“Compacting waste makes sense for everyone,” says Wesley Hormuth, a representative of the company. “It helps movement of those materials, as well as saving room in landfills, thereby increasing the capacity of those landfills. That’s what makes compacting such an important industry. Further, we believe we offer a superior product for that industry.”
Most notable among Marathon’s newest products is the Greenbuilt solar-powered compactor, the first such machine that runs off of sustainable solar power.
“For good reasons, everyone is into looking for the most green solutions to their waste management situations,” Hormuth says. “We consider our Greenbuilt compactor to be a huge step for that industry since it not only provides the compacting service, but it’s also solar powered, which is another facet of good energy management.”
Seabright Products Inc., based in Hopkins, MI, also offers a full line of commercial and industrial refuse compaction equipment in addition to a compatible line of steel carts, hoppers, and accessories that make the refuse-materials-handling process complete.
According to Jeannie Bolt, marketing director of the company, “We also offer our customers the alternative of equipment specifically designed that fits their application.
Compacting is also the business Bakersfield, CA–based Sierra International Machinery, which builds a full line of recycling and solid waste bailers that are designed to handle a wide range of material.
“Obviously, in a tight economy like the one we are finding ourselves in right now, we need to do everything we can to cut costs and maximize profits,” says John Sacco, president of the firm. “That means making smart decisions when purchasing the right equipment that is made with this end in mind. I think that with our equipment, maximum bale weight and lowest cost per ton is achieved.” Sierra also recognizes that baling and wrapping solid waste can provide the answers to many of the most common problems found in today’s landfill operations while lowering operational costs. Sierra produces solid waste balers that handle materials from 35 to 70 tons per hour.
Baling and sorting is also the business of Stamford, CT’s Van Dyk Baler Corp., the exclusive North American distributor of Bollegraaf Recycling Machines, providing turnkey solutions for the processing of waste, including construction and demolition waste.
Van Dyk also features Bollegraaf conveyor belts, sorting belts, magnetic and pneumatic sorting systems, drums, and screens for the sorting installations.
According to Pieter van Dijk, president of the firm, “We work with a number of municipalities throughout North America, working closely with them to provide exactly the equipment they need to take advantage of the high prices recyclers are enjoying right now.”
Sorting Bad From Good
Steinert US, in Erlanger, KY, produces some of the most advanced sorting/separation systems for waste recycling in the world.
“Recycling and other material handling is not only smart earth sense, but financially smart, too,” says Jason Loomis, president of the firm. “That’s why I tell people that recycling doesn’t cost, it pays. It really does make sense to use the best equipment to separate wastes from other materials that could pay handsomely when recycled.”
Fortunately, the industry has also kept pace in the technological field, with companies like Steinert, which creates more efficient and effective sorting systems, such as its CanMaster and Color-Sorting systems, which employ the latest technological advances.
For more than three decades, CP Manufacturing, of National City, CA, has been building state-of-the-art automated sorting systems worldwide. All of this started in 1976, when CP Manufacturing produced the first recycling equipment for aluminum cans.
“Today, we have built more than 300 MRFs around the world,” says John Willis, vice president and general manager of the firm. “I think that speaks a lot for the kind of equipment and service we provide our clients.”
Today, CP Manufacturing builds innovative material-separation equipment that relies on superior engineering, working closely with users that provide solutions made specifically for the applications.
Putting a Crush on Your Needs
Crushing and screening is another popular and economical method of handling large-scale debris, and it is the specialty of McCloskey International, based in Peterborough, ON, says Barry Greenaway, a sales representative for the firm.
“I believe that McCloskey’s reputation for quality in the portable crushing industry has earned it a reputation that’s second to none,” Greenaway says. “In terms of quality, durability, and productivity, I think we stand in a class by ourselves. With class-leading material throughput and capacity, the largest stockpile height in its class, and an extended side conveyor as standard, the new C50 crusher continues to push the boundaries of industry performance.”
McCloskey is also widely known for its vibrating and trammel screeners as well as for its stacking conveyors.
To the untrained eye, a MRF might look like a lot of garbage, but for those who are responsible for the cutting edge of being green, it’s a product of pure, hard science and engineering, from the tipping floor all the way to final product, which in turn makes other new products.
Fortunately, although recycling has held promise for years, today’s equipment designers and manufacturers are making the industry easier and greener than ever before. Whether the element in the process uses screens, belts, magnetic or eddy current, or combinations of other systems, facility managers can be assured of having the best and most user-friendly equipment available anywhere.