The Australian Waste to Energy Forum, one of the country’s most comprehensive waste events, returns to the Mercure in Ballarat 18-20 February 2020.
In its fifth consecutive year, the forum aims to provide a platform for all interested parties to discuss developments in Australia’s growing waste-to-energy (WtE) sector.
The theme for this year’s Australian Waste to Energy Forum, On the road to recovery, was selected to address two key areas: the application of waste hierarchy fundamentals; and changing perceptions about WtE facilities and their role within an integrated waste management strategy.
As in previous years, the event will run as a single stream, so all attendees can participate in all sessions. The aim is to provide a platform for discussion of challenges facing the industry, as well as showcasing latest technology and processes from Australia and around the world – both thermal and non-thermal.
Additionally, the forum will explore ways local government can co-operate with industry to develop appropriate infrastructure and deliver optimum waste services to their constitutes. Attendees will also hear case studies of projects that have successfully applied WtE technology.
Program overview:
The program features a range of speakers including Stephen Adamthwaite from EPA Victoria, who will present discuss WtE proposals, with particular reference to how proposals will fit under the new EP Act.
Trevor Evans, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, will deliver the Minister’s Address via video, after an official opening from City of Ballarat Mayor Ben Taylor.
Toby Terlet, Veolia Kwinana Project Director, will then detail challenges faced by a WtE facility in Tyseley, UK, including major upgrade works at the same time as industrial action, heavy snow and a declining national public sector budget.
This keynote presentation will discuss how Veolia worked proactively through the challenges with City of Birmingham to further cement the successful long-standing partnership and resulting in a 5-year contract extension.
Johnny Stuen, City of Oslo Waste-to-Energy Agency Technical Director, will deliver the second keynote presentation: providing an overview of the waste management system in Oslo, volumes technology and development work.
Oslo has optical sorting facilities, one for biological treatment/biogas production, and two WtE plants. The commercial WtE plant is the bigger of the two, and has competed projecting a full-scale carbon capture plant at site, awaiting investment decision.
Mr Stuen will also address why and how the source sorting system works, providing a detailed overview of technology, concept and market work for the biological treatment of organic waste in the system. He will also address regulative processes, development processes and further work.
Attendees will also hear from DELWP’s Angela Hoefnagels, Sustainability Victoria’s Matt Genever, CSIRO’s Daniel Roberts, Recovered Energy’s Ian Guss and ResourceCo’s Henry Anning.
Other discussion topics include WtE in a Circular Economy, Anaerobic Digestion, License to operate, current project updates, project development considerations and future opportunities and developments.
The Forum will also provide an opportunity for organisations to gain visibility and exposure in an interactive conference environment, with a number of social events and networking functions.
Waste Management Review caught up with Veolia Australia and New Zealand’s Marc Churchin to discuss his vision for the newly created solid waste portfolio as the company moves towards a new organisational structure.
Veolia Australia and New Zealand, which offers environmental services across waste, water and energy, has been organised around state lines for decades.
But a recent restructure sees a national focus on each of these business lines and is aiming to propel the company into a new era.
Veolia adopted its new line of business structure at the end of 2019. The change will see senior managers focused more deeply on their area of expertise, with national teams delivering waste, water or energy and industrial services across the country.
Seen as an opportunity to solve the nation’s future waste challenges, Veolia believes the new structure will allow it to better tap into its experience and scale. As a result, it will aim to realise a range of operational efficiencies – ultimately benefiting its customers.
Chief Operating Officer Marc Churchin heads up the National Solid Waste division in Australia. Marc tells Waste Management Review that Veolia customers are demanding a higher level of efficiency, greater levels of service and a more innovative approach to solving their waste challenges. He says the new structure aims to make it easier to deliver on all of these areas.
To that end, Marc’s remit includes solid waste collection services, transfer stations and waste-to-energy (WtE) nationally.
With close to 1000 employees under the solid waste banner, this division is a key part of the business.
Marc will continue to work closely alongside his peers, Tony Roderick (formerly Vic/Tas Group General Manager) and Craig Balthes (formerly Group General Manager of QLD). Tony and Craig now hold the title of Chief Operating Officer for the Energy & Industrials, and Water divisions respectively.
“There’s a need for ongoing collaboration between our business lines, so we’ll continue to work closely together.
“For example, Tony is responsible for liquid and hazardous waste treatment, so there are obvious synergies there. Similarly, there are clients we look after where water and solid waste treatment solutions are part of a larger offering.
“That’s the beauty of having scale and deep expertise in specific areas,” Marc says.
He adds that having a distinct focus allows Veolia to concentrate more on markets, processes and technologies most relevant to its business and customers.
Marc also hopes to be able to bring efficiencies to his business by observing and implementing best practices and creating consistencies by streamlining processes nationally.
“I’ve worked in three or four parts of our business and seen pockets of excellence right across the country, but it’s been difficult to pick those up and try and overlay them in other areas. By going down a national line, we now have the opportunity to do this more effectively.”
LESSONS FROM THE LAND
Marc Churchin has been exposed to multiple aspects of Veolia’s business, including the company’s esteemed Eco-precinct, supported by its mechanical biological treatment facility.
While moving house isn’t always the most enjoyable exercise, Marc has had the pleasure of working for Veolia in three different jurisdictions: Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. He’s also travelled the UK extensively and seen the success of the line of business structure first-hand.
These experiences have given him a well-rounded knowledge of the business and prepared him for the challenges ahead.
“I’m really pleased to have had the varied experiences I have across the whole business – not only locally, but internationally. I plan to bring that to the table when it comes to thinking about how we continue to build our solid waste operations and offering.”
Marc recalls starting his career in the sales team in 2005 at Veolia’s office in Buckhurst Street in South Melbourne, before moving into the sales manager role and subsequently heading up the Victorian commercial services collection business.
In 2011, he moved to Perth in the midst of the resources boom to take up the role of WA State Manager as Veolia integrated its waste, water and energy businesses.
“My experience in WA was exciting. Although it was familiar in some aspects being a city-based operational role, 50 per cent of our overall business emanated out of the Pilbara which was 2000 kilometres north in the iron ore mining areas. We therefore had different market drivers and customers.
“One of the big things I noticed was the focus on Indigenous engagement and employment. We set up a waste management joint venture which is still in existence today. It now turns over $40 million per annum with a local Indigenous group up there, and is a significant contributor to not only local employment, but our bottom line.”
His hard work saw him later promoted to NSW Group General Manager in 2018. This gave him exposure to some new aspects of Veolia’s business, including the Sydney desalination plant and its esteemed Eco-precinct in Woodlawn.
Despite his experience and long list of achievements, Marc is adamant that changes to the Veolia waste business ultimately need to benefit the customer.
“One of our biggest customers is a large government client, and when you go through this type of reorganisation, one of the first big things you do is talk to them about the change and the expected benefits for them.
“And from their perspective, they were really pleased, because they have been previously dealing with up to six different senior managers right across the country. This change means a single point of contact and increased accountability.”
Marc says that another practical example of how the new structure benefits customers is the ability to align its various fleets across the country to one specification of vehicles, simplifying the purchasing and procurement process.
“Instead of having a different fleet, or service experience in say Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or regional areas, this will start to look and feel the same right across the country, with a consistent and tangible operating rhythm.”
In saying that, Veolia will continue to offer a bespoke service to meet the unique requirements of its customers in various local jurisdictions.
“One of the things that we’re conscious of is not losing that local flavour, particularly in regional areas where we’re very strong across the country,” Marc says.
“But equally in capital cities, having worked in three major national capitals, I can tell you that there is a definite view that everyone is different and each particular jurisdiction across Australia is different.
“Some councils are very keen on food and organic processing, other councils don’t want that, so you have to be nimble enough to meet the requirements of different customers and their expectations.”
He says that having worked in three states allows him to get a feel for what does and doesn’t work in particular areas.
“We have senior managers with a long tenure in the industry that will continue to represent Veolia in those places, so they know the customers and policy makers well and what drives the decisions they make,” he says.
TAPPING INTO EXCELLENCE
Marc says the decision to base the Australian waste business on the UK model makes sense, given the alignment between the two businesses.
For this reason, he says he has continued to draw on subject matter experts in the UK to advance Australian projects.
“I’ve spent a bit of time in the UK and having a look over their business and different activities and I think it’s fair to say it is a very mature business.
“They’ve had WtE facilities running for over the past 20 years based on regulatory triggers that have made it beneficial to do that. The UK also has a number of advanced recycling plants and technologies. While we have some of these emerging in Australia, it’s not to the same degree.”
Following the lead of its UK counterpart, Marc says Veolia Australia and New Zealand is well placed to lead the future transition, with the foundations currently being laid for Australia’s first large-scale WtE facility.
“I think there are a number of exciting opportunities that could be available for Veolia in the next five to 10 years in WtE, and we’ve got access to some of the best talent and technology globally to take advantage of that,” Marc says.
Veolia is keen to think out of the box when it comes to forming partnerships that drive a circular economy. It recently signed a Heads of Agreement with Coca-Cola Amatil to establish a plastic processing plant which would focus on recycling PET plastic soft drink bottles.
This initiative would dramatically increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill. Coca-Cola Amatil has already set the bar with its target of seven out of 10 bottles made from 100 per cent recycled PET by the end of 2019. In November 2019, the company indicated this was on track.
“We also want to be using our expertise with major partners to drive value for them. As an example, the NSW Government is about to launch into their new 20-year waste strategy, so for the last 12 months they’ve been seeking feedback from the industry, councils and others. We’ve played an active role in working alongside the government and helping them navigate the complex waste challenges they’ll need to solve over the next 20 years.
“Looking forward, I believe that one of the things we need to be thinking about is how we build treatment process and capacity to ultimately cope with future demand, rather than simply looking at a particular waste types or waste streams in isolation of this.”
Given international waste bans have opened up sovereign risk, building local capacity is an area Marc feels strongly about.
“If we continue to rely on foreign markets for waste treatment and processing, we’ll face exactly the same problem that happened to us recently where a regulatory and policy change in a foreign jurisdiction meant we had no control over things and it adversely impacted companies and residents locally,” he says.
Whether it’s greater incentives for recycled products, or taxes and levies on virgin products, there are key mechanisms that can help to drive investment in better treatment and processing options. From plastic to organics, liquid and hazardous waste or residuals, Marc says Veolia stands ready to provide support.
“We have technologies right all over the world and in many cases we’re actually technology agnostic. There could be two or three different treatments for a particular type of waste stream, but we work with a customer to figure out what’s best for them. Fundamentally, we’re positioning ourselves for the future,” he says.
“The coming years will prove crucial for the waste and resource recovery sector, so we want to ensure we continue to work with the private and public sectors to solve the challenges ahead.”
Veolia has signed a $50 million contract with the City of Darwin to manage and operate the region’s Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility for seven years.
According to City of Darwin CEO Scott Waters, the contract is the largest ever signed by the council.
Major environmental and operational improvements are expected over the course of the contract, including increased waste to landfill diversion, commercial production of organic compost for local markets and cost minimisation through international best practice management.
Mr Waters said the contract demonstrates the city’s commitment to action on climate change, with emissions produced by Shoal Bay set to reduce under new management.
“The awarding of this contract to Veolia, who are recognised as world leaders in waste management and environmental services, hails a new era in waste management in the greater Darwin region, and highlights the importance council is placing on reducing emissions,” Mr Waters said.
“By increasing diversionary activities at the site, council is looking to promote efficiencies and encourage recycling and reuse of materials within our local economy.”
Veolia Australia & New Zealand CEO and Managing Director Danny Conlon said the company has been operating in the territory for over 40 years and currently employs over 80 staff.
“We have worldwide experience gained over decades managing waste management facilities with similar environmental and operational challenges,” Mr Conlon said.
“We look forward to working with council on helping them achieve improved environmental outcomes.”
The management contract will commence 31 March 2020.
Coca-Cola Amatil and Veolia are considering opportunities to establish a recycled plastic processing plant in Australia.
The potential recycling plant will focus on PET plastic, which is used to manufacture plastic bottles.
Coca-Cola Amatil’s Group Managing Director Alison Watkins said a joint project team has been established by the two companies, which will consider the plant’s economic feasibility, size, scale and location, end-to-end requirements and potential integration into each company’s value chains.
Ms Watkins said the joint project team will leverage each company’s expertise and experience in respective parts of the production and recycling process.
Veolia Australia and New Zealand CEO and Managing Director Danny Conlon said the project team will make recommendations to their respective companies in the short-to-medium term.
“We’re delighted to be working with our Amatil colleagues on this important initiative,” Mr Conlon said.
“It comes at a critical time for Australia where we need to be doing more to resolve ongoing issues around plastics and their potential to be recycled. I look forward to future announcements on circular economy solutions.”
Veolia and the University of the Sunshine Coast’s (USC) renewables district cooling and storage project has received global recognition at the 2019 Global District Energy Climate Awards in Iceland.
Supported by United Nations Environment Programme, the awards recognise environmentally sustainable and innovative district energy schemes.
District energy refers to systems that deliver heating, hot water and cooling services through a network of insulated pipes, from a central point of generation to multiple end users.
Veolia’s collaborative project with USC was awarded in the Out of the Box category, which highlights innovation in the district energy field.
According to a Veolia statement, the winning project reduces the carbon footprint of USC campus by 42 percent, through the integration of a 8.2 megawatt cooling plant, 2.1 megawatts of solar power and a 4.5 megalitre chilled water storage tank.
“The system is expected to save the university more than $100 million in energy costs and 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the coming 25 years,” the statement reads.
Veolia Regional Energy Services Manager Andrew Darr said winning the award on a global stage reaffirms how innovative the project is, and how the two organisations are challenging the current state of energy consumption and carbon emissions from large buildings and precincts.
“The partnership exemplifies the sustainable and innovative cultures of both organisations, but more importantly, shows others the transition to a sustainable future can be done in an economically viable way when the power of collaborative partnerships is harnessed,” Mr Darr said.
“The renewables district cooling and storage project at USC has been so successful, we are certainly looking to roll out similar schemes in the future.”
USC Chief Operating Officer Scott Snyder said USC plans to be completely carbon neutral by 2025, which requires significant changes to the way energy is captured and consumed.
“So, we really did have to think out of the box, and by forming a partnership with Veolia, we were able to negotiate a 10-year plan that suited us both and delivered major energy savings to the university,” Dr Snyder said.
The award was received in Iceland by Veolia’s Global Key Offer Manager Angel Andreu.
Veolia Australia and New Zealand is drawing on local and international experts in the lead up to its 25-year operations and maintenance contract on Australia’s first thermal waste-to-energy facility.
Waste-to-energy (WtE) in Australia has historically been slow to progress, but Veolia recently set a new precedent for the sector.
Earlier this year, construction began on Australia’s first thermal WtE facility. Based in Kwinana, WA, the site will be operated and maintained (O&M) by Veolia Australia and New Zealand post-construction for 25 years.
Leveraging its experience in operating more than 65 WtE plants across the globe, Veolia stands ready to spearhead efficient, effective and economically viable renewable energy solutions.
Avertas Energy was named the supplier and will process 400,000 tonnes of waste, equivalent to a quarter of Perth’s post-recycling residuals. In addition, Avertas Energy will generate and export 36 megawatts of green electricity to the local grid per year, enough to power more than 50,000 households.
As the preferred supplier of baseload renewable energy, Avertas Energy will also support the green energy needs of the Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA) and its members.
Macquarie Capital and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF) are co-developing the Kwinana plant, now known as Avertas Energy. Infrastructure company Acciona was appointed to design and construct the facility.
Veolia’s global experience will see it leverage the expertise of international engineers, project and site managers.
Veolia’s Toby Terlet in front of a 25 megawatt generator at its WtE plant in Birmingham, UK.
As the company operates 10 facilities in the UK, these sites served as the perfect methodology to replicate to local conditions.
One of Veolia’s oldest WtE facilities is its Birmingham plant in the UK and it was there that Veolia’s Project Director for Kwinana, Toby Terlet, gained significant experience.
Drawing on previous experience in Australia with Veolia, Toby moved to the UK in 2014.
Toby tells Waste Management Review that around five years ago, thermal treatment was still being discussed in Australia as an emerging technology.
“At the time, I didn’t know much about converting municipal waste into electricity, although I did have some experience with manufacturing waste-derived fuels for cement kilns and clinical incineration,” Toby explains.
Toby saw the UK experience as an eye-opener, with Britain up to 25 years ahead of Australia in WtE.
After Veolia won the O&M contract on the Kwinana project, Toby returned to Australia to a project director role based in the site’s heartland in Perth.
In the lead up to 2021 and over the life of the contract, Veolia’s network of on-call local and international expertise will help anticipate and prevent issues ahead of time.
Toby says that having a general understanding of how WtE facilities operate and the effort needed to maintain a facility will help achieve more than 90 per cent availability.
“The technology works well. However, it’s just as important to have skilled and experienced operations and maintenance teams to run the facilities,” Toby says.
“Education about the treatment of waste can always be improved.Birmingham is a positive example of how recycling, reuse and WtE can coexist. We need to better educate people on where WtE fits and how it provides an alternative to landfill.”
While WtE will continue to be a better option to utilise stored energy than landfilling, Toby says this needs to be complemented with a strong education program.
“I believe the process will slowly shift towards waste being converted to electricity through WtE rather than sitting in a landfill for the next 100 years,” Toby says.
“Segregating waste at the front end will always be the best option, complemented with the most economically viable technology to pull out things which may have been missed. This is the ongoing challenge for Australia.”
His passion for WtE as a viable solution within a waste hierarchy inspires him to break the stigma surrounding it.
“One of the biggest misconceptions around WtE is that it will burn anything. This is what I thought prior to leaving Australia. It didn’t take long to understand that waste is a fuel and needs to be blended to provide the right consistency based on the calorific value (CV).”
Toby says that obtaining the optimum CV will also be an ongoing challenge to work through. Wastes such as MRF residue have a high CV and this can create spikes in the heat transfer lowering throughput, so it’s about finding the right balance.
To make the project economically viable and provide financial close, supply agreements will start at the minimum amount of waste needed.
“The majority of volumes are contracted for a long period of time and some projects opt for smaller agreements to cover any shortage. I think based on a large number of states currently having issues with a reliable source of electricity, green energy production will be high on the agenda.”
While it’s still early days for the project’s construction and planning, piling recently finished with the civil works with concreting now well under way.
Looking to the future, Toby says stakeholders will identify all design improvements throughout the next 12 months to ensure the Kwinana project is the most efficient not only in Australia, but around the globe when handed over in late 2021.
“I’ll be proud to recruit the best O&M team for the project who will have the utmost dedication to safety and a passion to make a difference and spread the positive energy needed to make more of these facilities possible,” Toby says.
“This is just the start of Veolia’s determination to drive the circular economy approach and resource the world by identifying and developing complementary projects to better utilise resources which are currently going to landfill.”
Construction has commenced on Veolia’s $7 million purpose-built Whyalla Waste and Resources Transfer Station in South Australia.
Green Industries SA awarded the company a $250,000 grant to help develop the community resource recovery and re-use facility.
The sod-turning ceremony, held 25 Sept, was attended by council and community stakeholders including Whyalla City Council’s Mayor Clare McLaughlin and CEO Chris Cowley.
Veolia Group General Manager for South Australia and the Northern Territory Mark Taylor said Veolia was pleased to be delivering a new facility that would provide reliable, ongoing waste management services for the City of Whyalla and its residents.
“The Whyalla Waste and Resources Transfer Station will be operational by late May 2020, and is designed to improve material segregation and landfill diversion by recovering materials more efficiently,” Mr Taylor said.
“Veolia has operated in Whyalla for over 20 years, and looks forward to an exciting future working in partnership with Whyalla City Council and the community.”
Whyalla City Council Mayor Clare McLaughlin said the first day of construction was a significant milestone for Whyalla and an exciting major development for the city.
“Not only is this an environmental win for Whyalla and our region, it’s another major project that signifies we are continuing on the upward economic and city development curve,” Ms McLaughlin said.
“Veolia’s new waste transfer station is going to revolutionise the way we manage waste in Whyalla, with everyone benefiting as it promotes recycling and sensible landfill practices.”
Pictured: Council Acting Manager Environmental Health and Regulatory Services Jodie Perone, Veolia Projects Engineering and Asset Manager Stephen Cook, Veolia Commercial Services Manager Mark Inglis, Whyalla Mayor Clare McLaughlin, Whyalla Councillor Phill Stone, Council CEO Chris Cowley, Pascale Construction Managing Director Richard Zanchetta amd Pascale Site Manager Joe Franze.
Veolia opened the doors of its Echuca materials recovery facility (MRF) to local councils and commercial businesses on 11 September, to educate them on MRF operations and processing.
Veolia Commercial Services General Manager Daniel Paone said educating customers and the wider community was an important part of Veolia’s approach to materials recovery.
“Veolia owns and operates the MRF in Echuca, which has a design capacity of approximately 20,000 tonnes per annum. The MRF processes mixed recyclables that are collected throughout the region,” Mr Paone said.
“By working with our customers, we can reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill and avoid contamination risk, which not only has a negative impact on the environment, but puts the safety of our people at risk. The more our customers and the community understand how the facility works, the more effectively we can serve the community and our customers.”
Veolia Sustainability Coordinator Francesca Stafford said the open day highlighted a range of issues caused by contamination including safety risks for MRF employees, a reduction in commodity recyclability and an increase in sorting and disposal costs.
“Hosting an industry open day like this one is an essential component of our wider engagement strategy,” Ms Stafford said.
“Education and awareness is fundamental to sustainability, and allowing our clients to see the issues first hand will help them drive positive change within their local communities.”
The Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo has announced its upcoming 2019 Speaker Series, including a new stage addition.
Over the last 10 years AWRE has built a reputation for attracting some of the finest speakers from Australia and overseas to its two-day event, featuring leading minds from not only the waste and recycling industry, but all levels of Australian government and Top 200 ASX listed companies.
It appears 2019 will be no different, with speakers from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, Australian Battery Recycling Initiative and Veolia Australia & NZ.
Headlining the Industry Forum, presented in partnership with the Department of Industry, Planning and Environment, will be a panel discussion on ‘The Future is Recycling,’ which will deep dive into the core issues, insights and opportunities currently facing the waste and recycling sector.
Panellists include Veolia Australia & NZ General Manager Resource Recovery NSW Christine Hodgkiss, Renew Chief Operating Officer of IQ Renew Graham Knowles, SUEZ Australia & NZ State General Manager NSW Tony Grebenshikoff and Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association NSW Executive Director Tony Khoury.
According to an AWRE statement, the event will also shine a spotlight on the national issue of food waste, with the addition of the new Food Waste Stage.
“From sustainable package solutions, updates on the national food waste strategy to presentations from true food waste warriors, AWRE is driving the conversation on food sustainability,” the statement reads.
“Key speakers taking to the Food Waste Stage include industry experts from Coles, Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, Australian Institute of Packaging, Yume Food Australia and many more.”
AWRE 2019 will take place on the 30th and 31st October at the ICC Sydney in Darling Harbour.
Veolia’s recent moves in the waste-to-energy market has seen them team up with specialist equipment supplier Finlay.
Populations are growing and, as a result, so too is waste generation. Conversely, landfill capacity is declining as urban areas become increasingly dense.
While the waste hierarchy privileges avoidance, reuse and recycling, interest in waste-to-energy as a solution for material that falls through the cracks is growing. Capturing this potential was the driving force behind Veolia’s decision to open a new facility in Horsley Park, New South Wales.
According to site manager Stephen Bernhart, the new resource recovery facility handles wood waste material, which it then processes into a wood chip product.
“After running multiple equipment trials in 2018, we have recently kicked into operation,” Stephen says.
He adds that the wood chip product will be provided to a customer where it will be used as a substitute for coal within a cement kiln.
Veolia’s facility processes a significant amount of wood waste, such as pallets, offcuts and plywood which need to be shredded, and has the capacity to receive 430,000 tonnes of general solid non-putrescible waste per year.
“We have detailed specifications we need to meet to supply our waste-to-energy customer, and a big part of that is ensuring we achieved a material size sub 50 millimetres,” he says.
“It’s quite a challenging task because it’s such a small grade, so we decided to invite multiple suppliers out to the site to run tests and demonstrate their equipment.”
Stephen says Finlay Screening, Crushing and Recycling Systems, a supplier of screening and processing equipment for the waste and recycling industry, stood out during the trials.
“Finlay were heads and shoulders above the rest in demonstrating not just what their equipment could achieve, but how it could achieve it consistently,” he explains.
Finlay initially trialed a medium speed shredder, however, the resulting material didn’t quite meet specifications. Three weeks later they were back, with a Terex Finlay 693+ Super Track Screening Plant that, according to Stephen, worked extremely well.
“During the second trial there was a large lump of steel which had passed through the primary shredder into the secondary shredder,” Stephen says.
“The TDSV20 shredder shut down as intended, and Finlay representatives opened it up to remove the steel. The machine was back up and running in approximately three minutes – I was very impressed with how the equipment handled it.”
According to Stephen, Finlay also demonstrated how the shredding equipment could maintain the required tonnage throughput in spite of the small material specifications.
In addition to the screening plant, Stephen purchased a Terex Finlay TDS 820 Slow Speed Shredder and a Terex Finlay TDS V20 Mid Speed Shredder and Finlay 5032HD wheeled conveyor.
Built to process bulky, solid waste, the TDS 820 has a two-metre shaft manufactured with a fully welded tooth configuration. Stephen explains that the length allows for significant throughput and size reduction of material.
“The machine’s independent gearboxes enable each shaft to be run separately, which reduces material wrappage and facilitates viable shredding,” he adds.
The Terex Mid Speed Shredder has a twin-shaft, allowing it to perform both primary and secondary shredding. The TDS V20 also has the ability to self-protect against uncrushable material like steel, making it well suited to shredding waste wood materials.
“We have had no trouble meeting specifications after procuring the equipment, all three machines have been running very well.”
According to Stephen, there has been very little down time at the Horsley Park facility.
“There were one or two minor teething issues initially, but Finlay were able to handle them quickly and without fuss,” he says.
Finlay representatives also assisted on-site equipment training when the facility was commissioned.
“They are very forthcoming with their information and we were able to get local contractors trained up on how to run and maintain the shredders and screening plant as well,” he says.
“We are at a really exciting stage in our capability with an eye for expansion, so it’s crucial to have equipment that’s both reliable and efficient.”
Marc says the decision to base the Australian waste business on the UK model makes sense, given the alignment between the two businesses.
Whyalla City Council Mayor Clare McLaughlin said the first day of construction was a significant milestone for Whyalla and an exciting major development for the city.
