01491 834 311 info@grundon.com Pay Grundon My Account Home Services Facilities About Responsibility News Careers Contact materials recovery facilities (MRFs) Efficiently separating and recovering materials for recycling and reprocessing We operate a number of industry-leading Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) which effectively separate and recover waste recyclable materials, prior to them being sent on for further recycling and reprocessing into new products. Home › Facilities › Materials Recovery Facilities Efficient separation and recovery Our Materials Recovery Facilities provide efficient separation and recovery of recyclable waste materials Industry-leading technology Our state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facilities have an annual capacity in excess of 400,000 tonnes Improves recycling rates Improve your recycling performance by recovering your dry mixed recycling waste via our MRFs Our network of industry-leading Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) provide an efficient and effective way of separating and recovering recyclable materials. Our MRFs segregate dry mixed recycling waste materials from both local authority kerbside collections and those from our commercial customers. Once the materials have been separated in our MRFs, it is then baled and sent onto specialist reprocessors and manufacturers, where they are used to create new products. The use of MRFs to sort co-mingled materials also allows us to removal any non-recyclable residual waste, which can then be sent onto Energy from Waste facilities where it is used a fuel source to generate renewable electricity. The process of separating mixed materials through a MRF also dramatically improves the quality of the recyclables produced. This is of great importance for reprocessors and manufacturers, as they rely on quality of the materials being of a high standard, as it means that they do not need to use raw materials to create their products. Our MRFs have an annual capacity in excess of 400,000 tonnes, and through the use of state-of-the-art sorting technology we typically recover over 90% of the materials passing through them for subsequent recycling. What materials do our Materials Recovery Facilities separate and recover for recycling? We strongly believe that the best way to encourage effective recycling is to make the process as simple as possible. We do this by operating a mixed recycling service, whereby our customers can deposit all their waste recyclable materials into one bin, ready for us to take away and manage the recycling process. Disposing of all recyclable items in one container is known as co-mingling, and it’s very simple. The recycled waste materials we collect and recover through our MRFs includes: Paper (including newspapers, magazines, catalogues and envelopes) Card (including packaging) Cardboard Steel and aluminium drinks cans HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastics PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastics Glass (all colours accepted) This allows us to remove any unwanted materials that cannot be recycled, as well as any items that may disrupt or harm the process or our sorting equipment. Sorting and screening Hand sorting and screening of paper, card, cardboard removes these materials from the process. Ferrous metals sorting The remaining stream of materials passes through a series of overband magnets where ferrous metals, such as steel cans are recovered. Non-ferrous sorting We then use eddy current separators to recover non-ferrous metals, such as aluminium cans. Infra-red spectroscopy A series of infra-red spectroscopy automated sorters separate out the different type of plastic materials, such as plastic bottles and packaging. Glass screening Glass is also screened from the stream of waste materials and is sent through an air-classifier to remove any paper. The glass is then collected and sent on to be recycled. High-density baling The various segregated materials are high-density baled and temporarily stored until a sufficient quantity has been collected. They can then be transported onto specialist reprocessors where they can be recycled into new products. All of our MRFs operate to the same objective, which is to produce the cleanest, sorted and segregated recycled materials as efficiently as possible. The quality standards of our recover material are in excess of the standards required by the network of reprocessors and manufacturers to whom we send our recovered materials to. We have invested heavily in our network of MRFs to ensure that they provide industry-leading sorting technology and the most efficient and effective processes to separate and recover recyclable materials, whilst removing any residual non-recyclable waste. This enables us to produce a greater quality recyclable material product. For example, at our largest MRF which is near Slough, we employ cutting edge Redwave near infra-red spectroscopy automatic sorting technology, which is capable of being programmed to detect and recover a wide range of differing recyclable materials types. It achieves this by determining the type of material based upon the wavelength of reflected light it reads as the materials pass through the Redwave. It then use ballistic air currents to remove the various materials and separate them. Our Colnbrook MRF uses this technology to separate and recover materials such as paper, card, clean clear plastic film, and mixed plastics (such as PET and HDPE). Where are our Materials Recovery Facilities located? + How does the process of separating and recovering materials through a Materials Recovery Facility work? + Boost your recycling performance and reduce your waste management costs Contact us now to see how our mixed recycling collection service can save you money and boost your recycling rates 01753 686 777 sales@grundon.com Aerosol Reprocessing Anaerobic Digestion Alternative Treatment Energy From Waste Hazardous Waste Transfer Station Hazardous Waste Landfill High Temperature Incineration Materials Recovery Facilities Road Sweepings Recycling Waste Transfer Stations Boost your recycling performance and reduce your waste management costs Contact us now to see how our mixed recycling collection service can save you money and boost your recycling rates 01753 686 777 sales@grundon.com STAY IN THE LOOP Sign up to our newsletter Email What's happening in our world Company news 17 November 2021 Grundon drives home the road safety message Read Blog 16 November 2021 The explosive dangers of pressurised vessel disposal Read Total waste management from Grundon Looking for Grundon Sand & Gravel? www.grundonquarries.com GET IN TOUCH 01491 834 311 info@grundon.com STAY IN THE LOOP Sign up to our newsletter Email Grundon Waste Management Limited Registered in England No. 4245965 | Registered Office: Thames House, Oxford Road, Benson, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 6LX | Email: marketing@grundon.com | VAT registration No. 785 4156 01 | The Grundon name and Grundon Recycle designation are protected trade marks. | Member of Environmental Services Association. © GRUNDON 2021. 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