As outlined in Defra’s ‘Quality Action Plan’ and the Welsh Government’s ‘Towards Zero Waste’, the English and Welsh Governments have an objective to not only increase the quantity of material recycled, but also promote the quality of recycling.

To support this, the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (the Regulations) were laid on 11 February 2014 and came into force on 5 March 2014.

Schedule 9A of the Regulations automatically adds a condition into the environmental permits of all qualifying Material Facilities (MFs) which requires them to routinely sample and test the composition of their input and output materials and to report this via the Regulator. The requirement to sample and test is due to become effective from 1st October 2014.

 

Implications on the Regulation

Incoming mixed waste material must be sampled to identify Target Material, Non-Recyclable Material and Non-Target Material. The Target Material must as a minimum be separately identified by reference to glass, metal, paper and plastic. Whilst there is no requirement to sort and record incoming material into further sub-categories it is recommended that this is done in order to provide comprehensive management information and maximise the benefits of the sampling.

The regulations set out in detail how the sampling must be carried out and the sample weights for each material that must be measured. Without a structured weighing and recording system, this is a relatively complex and time consuming process that has to be carried out within the MF environment.

 

Where Weightron come in

Weightron have developed proprietary technology that deskills and manages this whole process, significantly reducing the time and labour required. This technology is already being implemented by several major waste contractors ahead of the October deadline.

 

Itemised Waste Management segregation

At the heart of the iWM system is our powerful touch screen Diade DD1050 weight terminal and bespoke software. The colour touch-screen provides an easy-to-use intuitive operator interface based on simple pictograms depicting target waste types and sub-categories. The operator terminal is used in conjunction with weights and measures certified weighing scales. Note that the DD1050 can be used with multiple scale inputs.

As the waste samples are manually sorted, operators simply place selected material on the scale and touch the specific pictogram on the screen. The system records the weight and stores the data. The Weightron system has the capability to link with proprietary management software systems to optimise data collection and management in line with regulations.

 

Weightron’s sales director Emlyn Roberts is clear on the benefits his company’s system brings:

“Waste contractors are under increasing pressure to measure and improve domestic and commercial recycling. There are two clear goals – to reduce materials sent to land fill and increase revenue from recycled materials through improved segregation. In order to do this, whilst remaining competitive, they need the tools to measure the effectiveness of current recycling in a difficult environment. Our system provides the tools that speed up the whole sampling process. This information can then be used as part of a feed-back system for ongoing improvements.”

 

Weightron will be demonstrating the iWM system at the upcoming RWM show at the NEC stand 5T-50.