Cleaning Plastic Contaminated Compost
Significant volumes of putrescible waste, from both the municipal and commercial sectors are landfilled each year. Through legislative pressures, retailers, food manufacturers, composters and waste management contractors are now investigating alternatives to current disposal practices to increase the quantity of waste recycled or composted, thus reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill.
One route is to identify ways in which biodegradable waste can become a beneficial product, but contamination by plastic can cause difficulties. Entec has now completed the first phase of a project for EB Nationwide Ltd to address this problem, by researching materials separation technologies that have the potential to eliminate this problem by removing plastic from biodegradable waste, thereby producing a product with the potential to achieve quality standards and a plastic by-product that could be used as a resource.
This project was funded under the landfill tax credits scheme, by the Shanks First Fund of EB Nationwide, and sponsored by a major food producer, a major food retailer and a leading waste management company. This project is the first phase of a programme to find one or more solutions to plastic contamination.
The aim of the project was, by conducting a literature and data review, to gather existing research and knowledge on the feasibility of producing waste derived compost, free of plastic contamination. The project was specifically aimed at the priority waste streams of municipal green waste collected or delivered in plastics sacks and packaged food waste derived from the food retail, manufacturing and catering sectors.
The literature review enabled identification of technologies that are currently used or have undergone industry trials as well as methods and equipment in need of further research for use in applications relevant to this study. Whilst there has been operational and product experimentation there is little in the way of published data or case studies.
The research subsequently identified the need for a demonstration scale project through a second phase. It has been proposed that a demonstration plant be constructed, in order to establish the optimal phase of the composting process for the removal of plastic contamination and the identification and demonstration of an efficient separation technology for removing the rejects and plastics.
The second phase of the project has been specified and has secured funding from Shanks First. We are now seeking sponsors for this second phase and would welcome discussions with interested parties.
The first phase report can be downloaded in PDF format here, or for further information, please contact Robert Ryan at Entec on 01189 036061.
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