Bucher Municipal supports Optus Stadium

Equipment distributor Bucher Municipal has deployed custom built bin compactors, lifters and carousels to Perth’s new Optus Stadium.

The expansive Optus Stadium needed efficient compactors, bin carousels and lifters to support its 60,000 strong capacity.

Located in the Perth suburb of Burswood, the highly anticipated project was built by a consortium led by Multiplex and completed in late 2017. Waste and water management company SUEZ won the tender to undertake waste and recycling for the large-scale project.

Ken Cowl, State Collections Manager, SUEZ Recycling & Recovery Australia, says undertaking a project of this size required the right equipment for the task.

“This was a highly anticipated project and as one of the largest stadiums in Australia, it required careful analysis on the types of equipment suited to support each respective application,” Ken says.

SUEZ looked to obtaining four compactors, four bin carousels and 36 bin lifters and turned to Bucher Municipal to help support the task – one of Australia’s leading equipment distributors. These included four custom-made Marathon RJ-250SC Integrated Blade compactors, four PakMor BC-61100 carousels and two types of bin lifters, including PakMor VLR1100 and Simpro Dumpmaster DM-1200.

The project was one of the largest projects of its kind in WA, when considering the scale and type of equipment installed within a building complex. Initial meetings for the project commenced in March 2017 with installation commencing in October 2017, and the project was completed in February 2018. Bucher was involved with the project from the onset with initial tours and inspections of the site and follow up meetings.

Ken says the relationship with Bucher goes back several decades when the company was known as SITA.

“For both organisations, it was a significant opportunity to showcase their service offerings,” Ken explains.

Ken says the project was unique as it required specifically manufactured chutes to match what had already been installed into the structure of the complex, as well as carousels and compactors to fit within the confines of the basement rooms.

“Several chutes were unique in design, one chute needed to be automatically lifted above the compactor in order to remove the unit for emptying, and they all needed to traverse through the walls at varying angles and heights to meet the placement of the compactors,” he says.

Guy Ioppolo, Customer Service Manager (Western Region) at Bucher Municipal, says that the unique bin carousels, which accommodate six 1100-litre bins, needed to handle waste from five separate floor levels.

He says the interlocked bin lifters ensured safe loading and rotation of bins on the carousels. Guy says that at all times, it was critical that waste could only be tipped down the chutes when empty bins were in place. Each of the lower receivable rooms was also fitted with a light bar sensor system which ensures the safety of personnel and any entry into the room switches all operating systems off.

Guy says the compactors and carousels operate in tandem via the five floors of the stadium. Each floor has two bin lifters capable of emptying 240-litre bins which tip into chutes through a fire-rated door. The bin lifters were customised to enable the unit to automatically open the door and discharge the waste down a chute into a carousel or compactor located on the basement level. The lifters were specifically designed to meet the existing chute heights and operate within the confines of the waste rooms on each level.

As waste reaches the compactor, a sensor automatically initiates the compactor cycle. Similarly, as bins in the carousels fill, a sensor detects full capacity and rotates the carousel to position the next empty bin under the chute. The carousel also has a small compactor plate that compresses waste in the bins to ensure optimum volume in each bin.

The integrated compactors installed at Optus Stadium are specifically manufactured for compacting large volumes of waste material, and the fully self-contained design prevents liquid leaking from the machine. Compactors located on the basement level were also interlocked with bin lifters on the upper five floors to prevent waste being tipped into a chute while compactors are away being emptied. Each of the waste rooms on the upper five floors were also fitted with alert lights to notify users if the compactor is full or away for service.

Dean Crozier, General Manager – Bulk Waste equipment, Bucher Municipal, was in charge of overseeing the project, from design to manufacture and installation.

When it comes to the technological capability, he says the Marathon RJ-250SC compactors were chosen due to their suitability for the high volume of commingled recycling generated at Optus Stadium. Dean says the machines are able to process waste at an optimal flow rate with a swept volume of 1.9 cubic metres per 55 seconds of cycle time.

The PakMor BC-61100 Bin Carousel is also an innovative design.

“The fact that it holds six 1100-litre bins is unique. Until this project we’ve only ever seen four 1100-litre bin carousels,” Dean explains.

The two types of bin lifters, PakMor VLR-1100 and Simpro DM-1200, are capable of emptying bin sizes ranging from 120 litre to 1100-litre bins, with 36 lifters installed over multiple levels.

“The reason why the Simpro Dumpmaster lifters were selected for the upper level waste rooms is because of their low tipping height, quiet operation and user-friendly functionality for cleaning staff,” Dean says.

Guy believes the winning relationship between Bucher Municipal and their installation for SUEZ and Optus Stadium was ultimately supported by Bucher’s reliability, serviceability and support. A monthly maintenance program also ensures everything is in dependable working order.

“Local support for equipment is incredibly important. We have 24/7 service available and one individual van dedicated to the static compactor equipment, so that allows us to give priority to that type of equipment,” he says.

“We carry a range of equipment for spare parts.

“The individuals both at SUEZ and Optus Stadium have come to know the technicians involved in the installation. Should they have any problems or issues they have that peace of mind that help is on its way.”

Products in focus:

Marathon RJ-250 compactor