Equipment Report

Photo courtesy of CP Group

CP Group helps equip large-volume Iowa MRF

CP Group, based in San Diego, has helped equip a new material recovery facility (MRF) commissioned by the Metro Waste Authority (MWA) of Des Moines, Iowa.

The equipment and technology provider says MWA was challenged by an uncertain future after China adopted its National Sword policy banning the import of some scrap materials. The agency chose to develop a new MRF “to provide a sustainable solution” for the Des Moines metro area in response to the challenge.

After a feasibility study supported a new, technologically updated facility for the region, MWA’s board of directors decided to move forward with building a MRF owned and operated by the agency.

After requesting proposed solutions from sorting system technology firms, MWA’s board selected CP Group. “CP Group understood our vision for an enhanced sorting system—one that would capture more material, reduce contamination and provide safe, pleasant working conditions for staff,” says Michael McCoy, MWA executive director.

At the front end of the system, a Primary Auger Screen and an OCC Auger Screen work together after the infeed conveyor to fractionate material prior to being handled by manual sorters, “eliminating the presort and creating a safer environment,” CP Group says.

The Primary Auger Screen creates a 6-inch-minus fraction that sends overs to the patented OCC Auger Screen and unders to the CP glass breaker screen (which removes glass and fines) and then to a CP screen that has new anti-wrapping discs to separate two-dimensional from three-dimensional material.

MWA is the first in the world to incorporate the OCC Auger Screen into a single-stream sorting application, CP Group says. The patented OCC Auger Screen has steel cantilevered augers generating high agitation to create an OCC-rich stream while fractionating out smaller materials.

The 8-inch cut sends unders to a Fibermax optical sorter made by CP subsidiary company MSS, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The MSS Fibermax sorts out contaminants, while overs go to the OCC quality control area, where large rigids, metals and residue are pulled out. Additionally, a CP LightsOut Air Drum Separator cleans the glass, and two MSS Plasticmax units sort containers.

Also installed in Des Moines are CP’s new auger silos, designed to maximize silo storage volumes. The augers act as a material metering system that eliminates half- and quarter-sized bales by emptying the correct amount of material to be baled.

“This advanced equipment package from CP Group reduces contamination early in the sorting process, allowing us to produce the best output for material sales and supporting the strong partnerships we’ve cultivated with brokers and end-market users,” McCoy says.

The new recycling facility also builds upon MWA’s commitment to education by including space dedicated to learning. The space features a permanent exhibit that includes educational kiosks, interactive infographics and a hands-on sorting station for visitors of all ages to learn about accepted recyclables and the recycling process. The center also boasts an observation deck above the sorting floor, a mural designed by a local artist and multipurpose space intended for community talks, presentations and other meetings.

MWA officially began operations at the MRF in late 2021. The new 101,100-square-foot single-stream facility processes material at a rate of 25 tons per hour and has room to grow as the region’s needs for enhanced recycling processing evolve.

“Metro Waste Authority has a MRF to be proud of, and we are happy to be their partner in bringing the latest innovations in recycling technology to the region,” says Terry Schneider, president and CEO of CP Group. “This facility will serve the greater Des Moines metro area with sustainable solutions for many years to come.”

Vecoplan opens California location

Photo courtesy of Vecoplan LLC

Vecoplan LLC recently opened a new location in Eastvale, California, to serve its customers in the western U.S. and Mexico.

The new office is the third location for the company, which has North American headquarters in North Carolina and a regional office in Indiana.

“The western states and northern Mexico—and Southern California in particular—has a multitude of manufacturing facilities in the markets we sell to,” CEO Frank Boerjan says. “Opening an office in California was the logical next step for us to support those customers and our growth strategy. This location is close to a network of major highways for our replacement part distribution and only 20 minutes from the Ontario [California] airport. Regional customers can easily access us for visits, and we can now service them more quickly in return.”

A Southern California customer officially anointed the in-house technology center with a plastics material shredding trial in April, Vecoplan says. The customer, which specializes in recycling complex, multilayered polymers, asked to remain unidentified because of its proprietary technology.

Also housed at this Vecoplan office is a team of service technicians. Vice President of Operations Bill Davison says the team travels regularly to Colorado, Arizona and Nevada for machine maintenance and system installation projects. “We are quicker to respond to the customers out here with this local team,” he says, noting they can drive or fly to customers in the West in half the time that service techs at its other locations can.

The company hosted a grand opening for the new location in March with local government officials and its German and U.S. leadership teams.

Vecoplan LLC is the North American subsidiary of Vecoplan AG, based in Germany. The company is a global leader in manufacturing industrial and mobile shredding equipment and recycling systems for virtually any material, selling into the plastics, wood, biomass, waste and recycling and waste-to-energy markets.