Tomra Sorting Lands Multiple Contracts in UK

Tomra Sorting, a company providing sensor sorting equipment to companies in the recycling and construction and demolition industries, has announced the signing of several new contracts in the United Kingdom.

According to a Tomra release, the company was recently selected as the technology provider of choice for six commercial and industrial (C&I) MRFs in the U.K., which are set to process a combined total of more than 500,000 tons of C&I waste over the next 12 months.

Tomra Sorting notes that its Titech technology, which will be installed at the different locations, uses a range of detection techniques to achieve the best results, including near infrared (NIR), X-ray transmission (XRT), visual spectrometers (VIS), color line cameras and metal sensors. Tomra says that its bespoke technology also enables maximum value to be extracted from the C&I waste stream, diverting it from landfill and increasing the recovery of materials – including plastics, paper, cardboard and film – for re-sale.

Tomra Sorting says that its latest automated technology can help plants recover 70 to 80 percent of material at purity rates of 95 percent. Given the rising costs of producing refuse-derived fuel (RDF), the high recovery achieved ensures residue is kept to a minimum.

The facilities where Titech has landed contracts are the following:

• Mid UK Recycling’s plant in Caythorpe, Lincs, which processes 75,000 tons of waste annually at a rate of 14 tons per hour
• Blakeley’s Waste Management Ltd.’s plant in Wigan, U.K., which processes 80,000 tons of waste per year at a rate of 15 tons per hour
• Devon Contract Waste’s plant in Exeter, which processes 75,000 tons annually at a rate of 12 tons per hour. This is the second development phase that TOMRA has worked on for the company
• Gaskells Waste Service’s plant in Merseyside, which processes 60,000 tons of waste annually at a rate of 10 tons per hour
• Weir Waste’s plant in Birmingham, which processes 95,000 tons of waste annually at a rate of 25 tons per hour
• Spotmix Ltd.’s plant in Merseyside, which processes 70,000 tons of waste annually at a rate of 12 tons per hour

As the composition of C&I waste can vary, depending on the type of business in a given catchment area, each MRF has unique requirements and is targeting different fractions depending on end markets. To ensure that the right solutions are in place to achieve the highest possible recovery and purity rates, TOMRA Sorting representatives work closely with customers and their plant builders at early planning stages for the MRFs. 

According to Tomra, the typical payback period for a fully automated C&I MRF is 12 months or less. Other benefits of using sensor-based sorting for this type of waste stream include the elimination of manual picking apart from quality control so labor costs are reduced; higher throughputs and consistent quantity and quality that are achievable; and the equipment requires a much smaller footprint than traditional processes, making it suitable even when space is limited. 

Stephen Almond, sales engineer at TOMRA Sorting UK, says, “The processing of commercial waste is a massive growth area within the U.K., and it’s such an exciting time to be part of the latest developments in these new plants. Introducing advanced automated sorting systems for this complex material stream delivers clear commercial, legislative and environmental benefits and these new contracts demonstrate that UK recycling companies are recognizing this.”