AIM
The project was designed to reduce waste removal from site by crushing and recycling internal process waste at site.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The main project goals achieved so far are:
- A reduction in raw material use
- 100% waste removal from site.
- Reduced transport
movement resulting in lower CO2 emissions
IN DETAIL
The project was designed to reduce waste removal by crushing and recycling internal process waste
at site. This would also allow for a reduction in raw material use as the recycled aggregate would lower the amount of sand added into the product.
Each year over 7000 tons of waste process material has been generated at site which requires removal by a waste contractor. The material is in the form of concrete tiles, concrete pre-mixture and oversized sand. This material is feasibly fit for crushing via mobile plant and returning into the process.
The project started by setting up a storage location for the waste material. Designated storage bays were purposely built for pre and post crushed aggregate. As the crushing activity would take place on a quarterly basis, this would allow enough material to build up over a 3 monthly period.
A mobile crusher would be brought to site and set-up in the storage location. The crushing activity would commence until all stored waste had been used up. As the post crushed aggregate became available, this was used to reduce the amount of sand being added to the pre-mixture for making the concrete tiles.
The costs, provided and paid for by Marley Ltd, are as follows:
• Storage bay blocks £20,000
• Mobile plant and crusher for one quarter £17,000
• Previous waste disposal costs £100 per load • Cost for sand delivery £17.5 per ton
The main environmental benefits seen from the project so far are:
• 100% process waste reduction • Raw material reduction
• In one quarter, 160 less transport movements were made by hauliers
• In one quarter, 2000 tonnes less of CO2 through fuel usage
Further benefits of the project:
• Cost savings for Marley Ltd
• Customer returns on defective tiles are recycled and replaced. Tiles are returned during customer collections to site.
• No affect on product quality
Longer-term, Marley Ltd would be looking to expand the project and look to source similar waste streams from local businesses that can be re-used into products.
Marley Ltd has an excellent compliance record with SEPA.
