Case Studies

When the UK’s leading surplus food reprocessor had an urgent product destruction requirement, the rigorously compliant ‘factory to farm’ specialist turned to UNTHA…

Renowned reprocessor SugaRich is no stranger to UNTHA UK. The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 firm – which recovers surplus food and transforms it into nutritionally balanced, high performance animal feed ingredients – has long been a user of UNTHA’s shredding technology. So, when the team was faced with an urgent and unexpected project to upcycle nearly 3,500 tonnes of material from a food manufacturing customer, they knew where to turn.

A call into UNTHA UK’s sales director Gary Moore saw operations swing into action at a rapid pace. While the volume of materials was admittedly a challenge, Gary calculated the throughput requirements and secured the availability of a high performance XR3000C in less than one week. Delivered with full training, SugaRich was therefore up and running extremely quickly

Put simply, this was a complex six-week job that UNTHA helped us complete two weeks early because the shredder surpassed all expectations! And their service was second to none. UNTHA’s fantastic support didn’t just impress and further strengthen the organisation’s relationship with SugaRich – the team’s swift action helped us deliver maximum waste hierarchy compliance and the best possible use of the valuable resources that could, worst case, have been destined for landfill.

Bristol-based recycling specialist ETM has integrated a new UNTHA XR3000 mobil-e shredder into its state-of-the-art waste transfer station, as the ambitious family-run firm pushes for zero waste to landfill in the South West.

This is a tidy piece of kit which has slotted neatly into our plant. It runs all day, efficiently and quietly – in fact, it’s so quiet, we don’t even know it’s on.

The XR investment marks the latest enhancement to ETM’s £5m facility, which was commissioned two years ago to become the biggest of its kind in the region. It has the capacity to handle 150,000 tonnes of waste per year, collected from ETM’s own skip fleet, as well as contracts for the west of England. But now, the installation of UNTHA’s single shaft waste shredder, means ETM can transform 400mm RDF burner fuel into a refined 30mm SRF for WtE and gasification plants requiring a more precise specification.

The flexible XR technology – with energy-efficient Eco Drive – has also empowered ETM to launch its own mattress recycling service. This complex process is now managed wholly in-house without any reliance on a third-party specialist to help tackle this bulky waste. Currently handling 1,000 mattresses per week but with scope for far more, ETM is liberating the metal for resale and the flock is used for alternative fuel within the Bristol area.

Currently processing 160 tonnes of waste per day, ETM is merely scratching the surface of what’s possible with the XR. The machine is being maintained by ETM’s own engineers, with remote diagnostics available if the team has servicing or optimisation queries.

In-house mattress recycling was the main driver for this project. We looked at 10 different shredders, and our due diligence regime was thorough. But none came close to the XR. In fact, we got it here on a demo, and it never went back! But now this flexible machine is up and running permanently, we’re constantly thinking – what’s next? Waste is piling up in the Southwest and the wood market is especially flooded. We hope other stakeholders in the supply chain will join us and continually invest to tackle this challenge and open up outlets locally. We have the capacity to help drive zero waste to landfill in Bristol, and the cost and environmental benefits of keeping materials in the area, are vast.”

Alternative fuel production specialist Lancashire Waste Recycling has halved plant wear costs and further boosted manufacturing capacity with an investment in its sixth UNTHA shredder.

The firm has been making a high-specification Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) at its Fleetwood site since it was established in 2013. An UNTHA XR2000 pre-shredder fed two TR3200s secondary shredders, to produce a renewable energy source for the cement industry. But as UNTHA’s engineering innovation continued – to challenge the industry norm of high speed SRF manufacturing – Lancashire Waste worked with the UK division of this global brand to understand how to leverage the potential that next-generation technology could bring.

So when Lancashire Waste opened its second SRF production plant 46 miles away in Burnley, a single UNTHA XR3000C was installed at its heart. This slower speed equipment could produce a quality 40mm fuel in a single pass, without the concerns surrounding downtime or damage when higher speed machines encounter unshreddable items.

Fast forward to 2019, and the growing company wanted to further strengthen its alternative fuel production capabilities. Advanced trials with UNTHA ensued and it became clear that the all-new UNTHA XR3000XC could achieve an on-specification 30mm particle with slightly more throughput than the two TRs combined.

The two Fleetwood post-shredders have now been switched, so that the original XR2000 feeds the XR3000C and the new 85rpm XR3000XC machine. A capacity of 30tph has been achieved. A 65rpm XR3000XC has also been added to the Burnley line to take its hourly throughputs to 20tph.

As a business, we’re constantly looking to progress, so consistency and capacity are key to our operation. We work with three UK cement kilns and the better quality the fuel, the more our clients seek. We’ve doubled our supply to one kiln, for example, over the past 18 months, so the impact on our business – from savvier waste shredding – is vast. Add to this 40% less energy costs, halved wear costs and only minimal damage repairs as we’ve moved away from high speed machines, and the business case for our shredder investment is extremely strong.

Industrial waste management specialist Malary has bolstered its hazardous material recycling capabilities with an investment in a second RS100 UNTHA shredder.

The heavy duty four shaft UNTHA RS100 is the latest addition to the fleet, with another existing RS100 already in operation. Capable of processing the materials many operators shy away from, Malary will use the new equipment to shred contaminated waste such as IBCs, and plastic/steel drum shredding for re-use, recycling, and energy recovery. Currently configured to handle up to 150 tonnes pr/week the new RS100 machine doubles Malary’s total capacity, with the ability to transform difficult wastes into a homogenous particle size as small as 50mm. The fraction is then further separated so that ferrous and non- ferrous material can also be salvaged for remanufacturing.

UNTHA’s four shaft shredder technology was the first to be introduced into the range, when the Austrian-headquartered manufacturer was founded back in the 1970s. The series began with the launch of the compact RS40 but has continually evolved as UNTHA’s engineering innovation has progressed over the decades.

With sophisticated in-house processing facilities that include seven different recycling routes – together with UKAS-approved laboratories to ensure the quality of all recycled product – we’ve built a solid reputation for complex waste handling and are trusted by some of the UK’s leading waste contractors. To continually offer the best possible solution for our customers – while boosting the environmental and commercial efficiencies of our facility – we are constantly investing in new and better technologies, and UNTHA’s four shredders now lie at the heart of our operation. The capabilities of these globally-proven machines – known for their ability to tackle difficult materials economically, safely and compliantly – is crucial to us.

A global specialist in protective security, surveillance, intelligence, cyber security, due diligence, training and dog handling, has further strengthened its portfolio of services in collaboration with UNTHA UK.

The business has bolstered the capabilities of its secure destruction division with the investment in a confidential waste shredder, certified to DIN-66399 standards. The four-shaft shredder is capable of processing up to 1.5 tonnes of these materials per hour and can produce a range of outputs from 10mm–100mm to allow classified materials to be completely destroyed. The cutting chamber also pre-shreds and re-shreds in a single pass, with a ‘mixing’ action for added peace of mind. The low-speed nature of Lighthouse Security’s new solution, means the materials can be shredded without damaging their fibres, which protects output quality and increases reuse or recycling potential. The zero-waste-to-landfill process therefore upholds high environmental standards, as well as compliance.

Plastic arisings are sent for recycling into plant pots and other products, for example, and textiles are shredded for reuse in the equestrian, surfacing and energy recovery markets. The shredding process is recorded, with the option for the customer to remotely watch the destruction, in real-time.

We take our business reputation very seriously, so in choosing a shredding partner, we looked for an organisation with equally high standards. The UNTHA RS30 is a high performance, industry proven machine, and the changeable screen makes it highly configurable as our company continues to evolve. Because we are an end-to-end security specialist, we can collect clients’ ‘items’, unload them into our secure CCTV manned and monitored facility, and apply a dedicated tracking number. Our secure storage facility also has an AI-driven security layer which proactively detects anything entering the area. Everything about this rigorously audited service is robust, so we set high standards for the shredder.

Safe & Secure Logistics has boosted the capacity of its WEEE recycling service to pave the way for further growth.

The Slough-headquartered firm has invested in a new hard drive shredder which will enable the confidential destruction team to comfortably – and compliantly – process over 3,000 hard drives per week. The UNTHA RS40 shredder has just been delivered to SAS Logistics’ Northampton site and thanks to its ‘plug and play’ technology, it was operational within the hour.

But that same technology – plus the machine’s compact footprint – will mean the RS40 can easily be loaded onto a vehicle for additional use as a mobile shredder. In either scenario, the four-shaft system will produce a homogenous output fraction of 15mm which, coupled with the liberation of materials within the hard drives, will ensure optimum recycling rates. Previously only able to tackle 250 hard drives per day due to the limitations of its previous shredder, SAS Logistics now expects to see growth of 65% within the hard drive recycling side of the business.

The market is crowded with shredders we could have used but we opted for the most proven solution, in terms of reliability, throughputs and confidential waste destruction compliance.

Disruptive plastic recycler 3R Technology is gearing up for further growth in 2022, as the ambitious scrap handler invests in new technology to bolster its UK operations.

“We use UNTHA at our Dutch plant too! So, when it came to selecting the processing machinery for our UK facility – equipment that is easy to use, simple to maintain, and has an impressive capacity – we knew where to go.”
Yu Lin Wang, CEO, 3R Technology

With more than 20 years’ experience – particularly in the Belgian market – attention recently turned to the UK and the WEEE plastic processing challenge. Approximately 2,000 tonnes of shredded small domestic appliance (SDA) plastics are now being handled by the team every month, at their 5000m2 warehouse in Preston. Two UNTHA shredders lie at the heart of the cutting-edge plant.

A single shaft UNTHA LRK plastic shredder processes PS fridge plastics, and a four shaft UNTHA RS40 with screen achieves a refined 30mm fraction after processing SDA mix. Particle homogeneity is ensured by both machines. The post-shredded plastic is then transported via conveyor belt to the washing line with floating tank, to be cleaned and dried. ABS/PS and PP/PE material is then run through an electrostatic separator to create pure, high value ABS and PS flakes for remanufacturing.

But having rigorously tested the state-of-the-art processing line, 3R Technology is on the hunt for more material heading into next year and beyond, with the site capable of recycling various plastics, including flat-screen TV cases, computer monitor housings, and computer based peripherals. The goal is to reach an annual processing milestone in excess of 5,000 tonnes in 12 months’ time, with plans to open two further plants in the South of England and Scotland, in the near future.

The UK’s WEEE recycling capabilities are continuously improving, however, the focus is usually the processing of metallic content. We’re therefore partnering with WEEE and scrap metal handlers, to tackle the 50% mixed plastic that typically remains once redundant appliances have been shredded. This still has a significant resource value, which often isn’t realised in the UK. UNTHA shredders make the job of our downstream technology so much easier - we’re able to segregate a further 3-5% clean metal from the floating table which boosts our revenue stream. Our site is attracting a lot of attention, particularly on social media, so we’ll continue to be very vocal when it comes to what we can do. We even encourage people to come and take a look.

Australian Tyre Processors (ATP) – part of Pearl Global – has invested in cutting-edge new waste shredding technology, as the innovative firm advances its national resource recovery strategy.

ATP has procured the UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e from waste management equipment specialist FOCUS Enviro – the exclusive Australian distribution partner for the global shredding giant.

The movable machine with two energy-efficient 132kW motors will be used to process car/passenger tyres down to a homogenous 50mm output. This resulting fraction – produced to an exacting specification – enables ATP to supply a thermal desorption process to create fuel oils, clean gas for electricity generation, steel and carbon, with no harmful emissions.

With the shredder also configured to handle truck tyres and pre-cut OTRs (off-the-road tyres), the XR3000C will provide a flexible piece of processing equipment that can transform end-of-life tyres into other products that can be used for road base, tip cover, landscaping and playground safety surfaces. The shredder investment follows an announcement from Cameron Dick (Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning) in June 2019, which revealed that ATP had received a grant from the Queensland government’s Resource Recovery Industry Development Program (RRIDP).

It is reported that, every year, 1.5 billion tyres reach their end of life globally. However, it is also feared that more than 60% are landfilled, stockpiled, illegally dumped or ‘lost’ from the resource chain. Australia accounts for 51 million of that vast figure, but only 5% of our country’s end-of-life tyres are recycled locally.