RECYCLING & WASTE MANAGEMENT
ON THE CONVEYOR BELT
Matthew Beverley, Chairman at Hoverdale UK and Vice President of the MHEA (Materials Handling Engineers Association), looks at how waste and recycling processing facilities can make quick technological improvements to their conveyor systems to keep materials flowing out and money flowing in.
Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), also sometimes called material recycling or reclamation facilities, sit between our waste and the value extracted from the reuse and recycling of that waste.
Optimised equipment and workflows Conveyor belt systems in the recycling and waste sector are a significant infrastructure component. Robust, solid and reliable conveyor systems make the process of converting waste into quality recyclables and alternative fuels. Conveyor equipment is generally designed to efficiently sort and process recyclable materials, which can help increase the facility's overall efficiency. Safety, quality, and productivity are the three components that maximise waste and recycling facility efficiency. MRF operators can do plenty to make their operations more efficient, particularly in today's economic climate in the face of rising energy costs. Planned and preventative maintenance of systems will help the system keep running because a faulty line is one of the big points for inefficiencies and energy loss.
Case in Point The problem: Keeping chevron and cleated conveyor belts clean at an MRF
The client, a large national waste and recycling provider, runs a Material Recovery Facility that processes tonnes of household waste and recovers
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material for recycling. They were experiencing issues on conveyor systems with carryback and spillage of materials. Belly pans full of material, and various other blockages in the system were causing multiple stoppages. The build-up of materials on unclean belts causes premature belt damage, wear and tear. In this case, the return rollers were wrapped in material and damaged, and the drive drum motors were overloaded.
Health and safety hazards Guidance developed by the Waste Industry Health and Safety (WISH) Forum to help control safety and health risks in the waste management industry associated with designing and operating material recovery facilities (MRFs) safely. The guidance advises on material recovery facilities' leading health, safety and welfare issues. The guidance is primarily aimed at designers, manufacturers, installers and users involved in developing and operating MRFs. It explains how to remove or reduce critical general health and safety risks associated with designing and operating an MRF. It includes advice about assessing hazards and provides solutions that will help eliminate or reduce the risk of serious injury or ill health. It's not only health and safety risks that need to be considered.
In this case, the issues caused spillage on the facility floor and gangways, causing a health and safety hazard and requiring frequent additional clean-up and resources.
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