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C&D WASTE C&D waste: Material matters Jonathan Clarke, global sales director for TOMRA Sorting Recycling, explains why the UK's construction and demolition waste sector needs to act now to ex- ploit the business potential of this waste stream. onstruction and demolition (C&D) materials represent by far the largest proportion of the UK waste stream. In the UK, we generate more than 90m tonnes of waste annually from construction and demolition projects. The EU Directive 2008/98/EC has set a 2020 recycling rate target of 70% (by weight) for re-use, recycling and other recovery of construction and demolition waste. The clock is ticking and with just six years left to go, it is vital that the industry acts now to ensure that this target is met. Although automated, or sensor-based sorting, has already been successfully adopted in other more complex waste streams such as MSW and C&I, the C&D sector remains a previously untapped source of recovery of valuable materials and diversion from landfill. The challenge in processing mixed C&D waste is its com- plex composition. It encompasses a range of resources includ- ing wood, paper, plastics, metals and insulation materials, as well as inert material such as stone, glass and ceramics. Taking into account the tonnages involved, manual sorting alone simply isn't an option for tackling C&D waste and the opportunity to recover value using conventional techniques is limited. At present, most C&D MRFs use a combination of shredders, screening machines, wind sifters, magnets and non-ferrous metal separators. This is effective to a certain degree as material can be sorted by weight but not by type. So, although the reclamation or recycling of aggregates has been commonplace for many years, few other materials are currently recovered. Polythene and wood can be recovered automatically using sensor-based sorting, but also other plastics and inert materi- als, which form by far the largest proportion, could be sorted to uplift their value. C&D waste also contains a fraction that can be used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which again can't be recovered using conventional techniques. With demand for these high-value secondary materials con- tinuing to rise and proven results in recovering high quality, high purity marketable end fractions, it makes commercial sense for companies to explore the routes to recover more and more material from the C&D waste stream. From an environ- mental perspective, using recovered and recycled materials is much more energy efficient than using virgin materials, but also the reliance on landfill is greatly reduced – a key driver when landfill costs are set to continue to rise. Applying the right technology TOMRA Sorting´s TITECH technology sorts according to material type and thus generates marketable mono-fractions. Typical recovered fractions from mixed C&D waste are inert materials, film, metals, wood, paper and cardboard and plastics. The technology detects and sorts grain sizes in a bandwidth of 10 to 500 mm, preferably divided into grain size ranges. In recycling plants, the technology is generally used after the metal extraction. Depending on the desired outputs, a combination of detection techniques can be applied. These include near infrared (NIR), X-ray transmission, visual spec- trometers (VIS), colour line cameras and metal sensors. C&D waste represents by far the largest proportion of the UK waste stream and therefore it has to be given priority in our overall recycling strategy. The UK still has a long way to go to ensure that it has any chance of achieving the EU's 2020 target for C&D waste, but with clear and considerable com- mercial opportunities available for the taking, there's never been a better time to take action. Jonathan Clarke is global sales director at TOMRA Sorting Recycling. 10 Local Authority Waste & Recycling May 2014 C Mobile Washing Systems "A tailored package to meet your specific needs" Including: • MOBILE DEWATERING SCREENS & CYCLONES • MOBILE WATER RECYCLING PLANT • MOBILE CENTRIFUGES FOR SLUDGE REMOVAL Total water recirculation = Lower water use Does not require settlement lagoons CRUSHERS AND DRY SCREENERS ALSO AVAILABLE SEE THE VIDEO OF THE PLANT WORKING ON OUR WEBSITE SELF DRIVE SELF DRIVE & OPERA & OPERA TED PLANT HIRE A TED PLANT HIRE A V V AILABLE AILABLE � (01527) 89 3343 www.sedavis.co.uk Don't waste any more time – call 0800 581761 or visit the website. www.jcb.co.uk The JCB Wastemaster range now comprises 35 machines purpose built for any recycling application. This means that your choice of machine is greater than ever. There are now over 10,000 JCB machines working in waste all around the World and our Network is supporting them all around the clock. More ways to master waste. 21288 Construction Waste Advert Update.indd 1 09/04/2014 16:44

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