Almost four years ago, Rabbit Waste Management invested in its first UNTHA shredder. The UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e went on to hit the headlines when it more than halved the energy consumption required to manufacture Rabbit’s own alternative fuel. Fast forward to 2021, and the team will welcome the second XR onto the site. We spoke to Rabbit’s director Duncan Barrass, to find out more…

Hi Duncan. To begin with, please can you tell us a little more about your operations?

Sure. We specialise in construction and commercial waste management, and we divert around 75,000 tonnes of locally collected materials from landfill, every year. Instead of these valuable resources simply being ‘dumped’ we manufacture an alternative fuel used to run our 5MW Waste to Energy Enviropower plant.

So, you’re no stranger to shredding?

No. Before we started working with UNTHA, we used a diesel driven mobile shredder, but this high speed technology was unreliable and downtime was unmanageable – not to mention a high fire risk The whole process was therefore more costly and less safe than we wanted it to be, and it was environmentally inefficient too.

We switched to the electric-driven UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e to reduce risk, energy consumption, dust, fines, noise, operational unpredictability and excessive spend.

And can you share the type of fuel you’re producing?

We can comfortably handle 25 tonnes of waste per hour and create a homogenous <90mm fuel to our own precise RDF specification. We power the shredder and rest of the plant using the electricity we generate, then export the remainder (approximately 4MW) to the grid.

So, why the new machine?

We have a policy as a business that we update our mobile equipment every three to four years. The XR mobil-e is only on 10,000 hours so has plenty operational life in it yet, but we prefer to exchange our equipment while it still holds high residual value.

And which waste shredder have you gone for?

It’s the same XR3000C mobil-e but the new 64rpm model with clutches, instead of the existing 45rpm equivalent. We’ve trialled a demo machine on site and have been really impressed with the ongoing engineering advancements that UNTHA has made as a result of customer feedback. The tests evidenced that productivity and throughputs will be further improved which could give us an extra 20% capacity.

We liked some of the smaller details too, even down to the skirts on the discharge belt to stop material falling onto the floor and help us keep a tidier site. Lots of thought has gone into the latest model, and of course we’re excited to start using the remote data analysis tool – UNTHA Genius.

When is the machine due to arrive?

January 2021. Due to the ‘plug and play’ nature of the shredding technology, we’ll make the switch from existing to new machine, in less than an hour!

If you could offer any advice to other companies thinking of investing in a Waste to Energy shredder, what would you say?

The UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e felt like a significant investment when we first purchased the kit, but the ROI has been unquestionable. We are also very impressed with the reliability and ease of use for the operator. We are extremely confident in both UNTHA’s engineering capabilities and their customer service. They are a principled business which really shines through in both their approach to innovation and the ongoing support they offer us as a business.

And what should we expect from Rabbit Waste Management in 2021?

Our priority is to keep doing what we’re doing, as best we possibly can – with utmost commitment to safety, and maximum environmental and commercial gain in mind.

Thank you Duncan – we wish you all the best!

The new UNTHA XR waste shredder brochure is now available for download