Equipment Report

Machinex to supply recycling system to Rumpke

Photo courtesy of Machinex

Machinex will supply Rumpke Waste & Recycling, headquartered in Cincinnati, with a 56-ton-per-hour residential single-stream system for its new material recovery facility (MRF) in Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to featuring what Plessisville, Quebec-based Machinex describes as “best-in-class technology,” the Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center will host a research center for college students and an educational area to raise environmental awareness.

The system will sort recyclables that include papers, cardboard, high-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene and mixed plastics from local residential and commercial curbside collections. Effectively sorting these materials while maximizing purity, interconnectivity and high-technology equipment were Rumpke’s requirements for the system’s design.

This 160,000-ton-per-year MRF will include several types of sorting equipment focusing on high automation to maximize recovery. The system will be equipped with 18 Mach Hyspec optical sorters, along with three SamurAI sorting robots on the container lines for quality control. The automation will increase material recovery and purity without extra manpower, according to Machinex, which adds that its engineers developed a multistep solution involving material sizing with trommels to drive the appropriate material to its corresponding sorting equipment. 

Rumpke has partnered with Machinex on multiple projects.

Chris Hawn, CEO of Machinex Technologies, the company’s North Carolina-based U.S. subsidiary, says, “We were fortunate enough to remain Rumpke’s selected vendor and, with the level of automation provided, they are prepared to handle what the future might bring.”

Mack dealer ready to handle EVs

Photo courtesy of Mack

Mack Trucks has announced that Ballard Truck Center in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has become its certified electric vehicle (EV) dealer and is equipped to service and support the Mack LR Electric.

Mack, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, calls that model its first fully electric Class 8 refuse truck and says Ballard Truck Center is its first New England dealership to be EV-certified.

“Ballard Truck Center is another example of a dealership that is committed to support both diesel-powered and battery-electric vehicles,” says Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of sales and commercial operations. “Mack and Ballard are committed to helping customers achieve their sustainability goals, and we congratulate Ballard on this milestone,” he adds.

Ballard Truck Center has 11 service bays, one of which is now dedicated to servicing EVs. According to Mack, EV-certified dealers must meet “numerous stringent infrastructure, training, safety, charging and tooling requirements.”

“Ballard wanted to be sure that we were ready to accommodate our customers for when they choose to purchase an electric vehicle,” says Robert Picking, head of business development for Ballard Truck Center. “Customers have expressed a lot of interest in electric vehicles, and the Mack LR Electric in particular, and we look forward to supporting these customers in the future.”

The current generation of the Mack LR Electric was launched this March and features a standard 376-kilowatt hours of total battery capacity. Mack says this offers 42 percent more energy and increased range between charges compared with previous models.

A two-stage regenerative braking system helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes each day, according to Mack.

Mack says Ballard Truck Center is a fifth-generation family-owned business with five branches in Massachusetts and a location in Johnston, Rhode Island.