JCB equipment steps forward at futuristic waste facility

A pioneering waste treatment and recycling firm has purchased five JCB Wastemaster models to enhance productivity at its state-of-the-art mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) plant in Leicestershire.

New Earth Solutions has bought the machines – a JCB JS220 Materials Handler, a JCB 541-70 Loadall telescopic handler, a JCB 180 skid steer loader and two JCB 426 wheeled loading shovels - to perform waste rehandling duties at its new Cotesbach MBT plant near Lutterworth.

Focused on technologies and processes which recover value from waste and reduce its impact on the environment, New Earth Solutions opened the revolutionary facility in October 2010.

The site uses the latest mechanical sorting equipment, advanced bio-filters and automated monitoring and control systems, with all processes fully enclosed. It has the capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of waste each year and is underpinned by a contract with Lafarge Aggregates Ltd to treat Leicestershire’s household waste over a 5 - 7 year period. It is one of the most advanced facilities in the UK, delivering unparalleled levels of efficiency.

Graham Roberts, New Earth Solutions’ Site Manager at Cotesbach, said: “We assessed the available equipment on the market and the JCB Wastemaster package met our requirements for performance, service support and cost. The machines are performing well and contributing to the ambitious overall efficiency targets at this brand new site.”
 
The JCB models are forming an integral part of operations, with the JCB JS220 Materials Handler initially used to select and load waste into the hopper which feeds through to the sorting plant. Operating in confined spaces, the JCB Loadall and skid steer loader are then used to handle the recycled material.

The two new JCB 426 wheeled loading shovels are both used for materials handling in the facility’s production of compost. The first moves the organic materials into the composting halls where it is processed in windrows during the six week bio-stabilisation phase. The second then loads the screening plant which sorts the compost produced into the various sizes offered by New Earth Solutions under its ‘Nutri-9’ brand. The resulting product is used in land remediation projects as a soil enhancer.