Sorting Process

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  Delivery of Materials

  Materials are offloaded in our rubb building. Councils deliver a mix of paper; cardboard; food and drinks cans; aerosols; foil; cartons and plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays to us which we then separate using our Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).  

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  Transfer to MRF

  Materials are transferred onto a conveyer that moves them through sorting process.

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  Pre-sort Cabin

  A conveyer runs through a cabin where staff hand pick off large pieces of cardboard and any incorrect items that may cause damage to the MRF, for example, plastic bags and textiles. 

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  Screens

  The materials then moves through a series of screens that separates out the paper from the mix.  The paper is transported to the sorting cabin, while the plastics, cans and cartons fall through the screens to a lower conveyer that moves along the plant. 

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  Magnet

  The steel cans are removed using a magnet that runs across the top of the conveyer.

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  Eddy Current

  The aluminium cans are removed using an eddy current, which works on the opposite principle to a magnet and repels the aluminium down into a separate chute. The plastics and cartons carry on to the sorting cabin.

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  Sorting Cabin

  Four conveyors run through a large cabin; three for paper and one for plastics and cartons. Staff hand pick any incorrect materials from the paper conveyers and cartons from the plastics and cartons conveyer. The plastics then go to an optical sort machine which is used to remove any contamination.

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  Balers

  All materials are baled up for onward transport to the companies who recycle them.