Viridor’s biggest materials recycling facility (MRF), Crayford MRF, processed a record-breaking 34,841 tonnes of dry mixed recycling in January, up 6.8% on January 2020 when the plant’s output was 32,632 tonnes.
Crayford MRF processes both municipal and commercial dry mixed materials, including paper, card, plastic bottles, cans and glass. The plant receives around 318,000 tonnes of commingled recyclate from 28 local authorities. This year the plant is on track to increase its input to 335,000 tonnes.
Viridor MD of Recycling, Fleet & Logistics Derek Edwards said the company’s MRFs were accustomed to seeing a significant uplift in recycling over the festive period, but this January’s increase went beyond the usual seasonal changes.
He said: “Lockdown is having a real impact on the volume of material our plants receive and Viridor Lead Unit Manager Adil Braqi and the team at Crayford were well-prepared for this outcome, focusing on improved plant performance and, specifically, plant availability, utilisation, throughput, monitoring critical spares and key equipment.
“Crucial to the team’s success was robust quality inspection at every stage with a plan in place before January to ensure the plant was able to cope with additional non-target or contaminated material it was receiving. Toolbox talks emphasised the importance of achieving high quality output on our materials and the team was supported by Covid-19 control measures prioritising staff safety.
“We are really proud of all our recycling teams for the tremendous commitment to maintaining this vital service during the challenging circumstances of the pandemic. It’s a fantastic achievement for this hardworking team.”
Crayford noted the biggest output increase overall with fibre and glass, with a breakdown as follows and the previous year’s figures in brackets: Mixed paper No7 12,630 tonnes (11,450); OCC 4,010 tonnes (3,231); plastics 4,000 tonnes (3,600) and glass 8,644 (6,600).