BMI Group has acquired a new machine from GCM Enviro to support the development of its latest landfill in Queensland.
At the coalface of Queensland property development and waste management is BMI Group, a Brisbane-based organisation that offers recycling, waste transfer and landfill activities. With six different sites across Queensland focused on resource recovery, BMI is helping to solve the challenges of construction and demolition (C&D) and commercial and industrial waste (C&I).
One of these key hubs is a landfill and recycling centre located between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Stapylton, a convenient point of disposal for C&D, C&I and green waste, concrete products and inert fill.
The Stapylton site is also an ex-quarry that received landfill development approval in 2018. The landfill site opened its doors in October upon construction of the first cell. The new site is able to process 500,000 tonnes of waste per annum, with 1800 tonnes per day on average.
The landfill is now a key destination from residuals from three other transfer stations focused on resource recovery, taking waste from the Bogside Mining Industries, Nudgee Road Resource Recovery and the nearby transfer station at Stapylton.
AJ Ali, BMI Group Operations Manager, has been with the company for the past eight years, having previously worked as a plant manager at the Watson Road Resource Recovery site at Acacia Ridge.
For the site, AJ needed a landfill compactor that would provide even compaction and complement existing dozers on site.
AJ says that GCM Enviro was identified by BMI as a reliable and potential supplier.
“We had purchased a TANA G290 landfill compactor previously at our resource recovery facility at Watson Road that had achieved excellent compaction rates,” AJ explains.
Downtime on the site was an issue and BMI was looking for backup and after-hours support. GCM Enviro’s TANA E520 was seen as a potential product to solve BMI’s challenges, but it was the company’s decision to go the extra mile that ultimately stood out.
“GCM Enviro Managing Director Daniel Kastowsky stood by his product by agreeing to provide a guaranteed backup machine should the TANA E520 experience any failure,” AJ explains.
“A number of suppliers won’t do after-hours warranty supply, but GCM offered this as part of the total package.”
Available through exclusive supplier GCM Enviro, the TANA E520 features two full compaction drums which provide a full width compaction and even surface.
Maximum uptime, fuel burn, a comfortable cab and after-hours support were key components of the arrangement. GCM Enviro also offers a generous warranty with support.
“Operator comfort in the cab is a big thing for us. Maximum comfort means our drivers are happy and able to give their best performance on the job.”
He says the rigid machine remains at operator level, while a bigger cab offers 360-degree views in addition to a window from roof to bottom floor for better visibility.
“We got great compaction of four passes. The compaction force of the full-width twin drums is directed straight down, thus preventing waste extrusion from underneath the compactor. Even compaction keeps our landfill cells flat at all times,” he says.
Due to the dual compaction drums, the machine is able to provide an even surface in four passes instead of an industry standard of six, reducing machine hours, operator costs and fuel consumption. AJ says the E520 also offers a greater crushing force to provide a smooth even compaction.
A rigid frame maximises the crushing force of up to 50 per cent of the total compactor weight, compared to 25 per cent for an oscillating frame, according to GCM Enviro.
The rigid frame also means waste spreads in level layers, which maximises uniform compaction, instead of being spread unevenly along the surface through an oscillating frame. The end plates on the drums of the TANA machine eliminates any waste extrusion experienced in the eight points of four-wheel compactors.
The drum design concentrates pressure directly under the frame, providing a smooth and level compaction.
GCM Enviro says the E520 ground clearance is at least double that of any other compactor in the Australian compactor industry, with a height of 890 millimetres from the ground, while still maintaining a low centre of gravity. This is also important to prevent rubbish from getting trapped around the underbelly of the machine and posing a potential fire hazard.
Stability is also ensured through a maximum sideways tilt angle of more than 50 degrees and minimum cabin sway due to a rigid frame. It’s particularly important for safety, by preventing the risk of rollover for the operator.
AJ says the engine also offers low fuel consumption. Automatic traction control lifts the blades up to ensure the load is consistent and even.
He says he’s so pleased with GCM’s service that he is already looking at a TANA shredder for another recycling plant at Stapylton that BMI is in the process of building.
“I couldn’t be happier with the assistance and support provided by GCM Enviro. Their desire to go the extra mile is helping us achieve our disposal and resource recovery goals,” AJ says.