Tradebe UK
Waste transfer stations use across the UK has experienced a steady rise in recent years. From the sorting of paper, cardboard and plastics for recycling to the separation of paints, oils and chemicals for treatment at processing facilities, more and more UK companies are recognising the importance of efficient waste segregation.
A major driving force behind the rise in transfer station use is the increased awareness of the Waste Hierarchy within the UK. The Hierarchy, regulations designed to extract the maximum practical benefits from products while also generating the minimum amount of waste, encourages businesses to strive to eliminate waste from industrial and domestic locations alike. But in reality how simple is this to achieve?
At TRADEBE we have been challenging the way we think of waste for decades. Simply identifying waste and its potential for reuse is the first hurdle. We then consider the main characteristics and components of the waste, and finally plan, map and schedule the optimal reuse or recycling route possible. At TRADEBE disposal is always our last resort.
Waste in Focus – Paints
Paint is one of the most commonly recurring hazardous waste types. But with so many potential variations, solvent/oil based, water based, two-pack, how can we ensure that we send the right type to be treated in the right way? Even the most easily identifiable types of paint, gloss and emulsion, require differing treatment options.
Once waste is received into a TRADEBE Transfer Station, the specific types of paint present will be evaluated, sorted and repacked. While this may sound simple, the process actually requires a well-trained chemist to differentiate one type of paint from another. Once the Transfer Station has collected or ‘bulked’ the right amount of one type of paint waste, it will be relocated to the most suitable processing facility for the next stage of its transformation. Our TRADEBE Transfer Stations always consider the carbon impact of any onward shipment, ensuring that our waste is sent to the most appropriate treatment facility.
What happens next?
Just one of our four TRADEBE Transfer Stations processed in excess of 50,000 drums of waste in 2016, but what happens to the waste once it has been processed? Solvent or oil based paints may have two options available for the next stage of treatment:
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Secondary Liquid Fuel – Paint is blended with other suitable materials to provide an alternative fuel for kilns.
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Energy from Waste – paint is shipped for incineration with any energy released being recovered for electricity generation.
Water based paints have historically been more challenging to recycle even though as a nation we dispose of more than five million litres per year.
Through one of our strategic alliances, TRADEBE is now able to regularly recycle in excess of 80 per cent of water based paints received into our UK Transfer Stations. Once this paint has been re-engineered it re-enters the paint market, where it is used either by contractors or local authorities.
Our Transfer Stations
This focus on paints is a simple example of the many possibilities within a TRADEBE Transfer Station.
These same principles are applied across a wide spectrum of waste types, with a typical TRADEBE Transfer Station permitted to accept more than 300 EWC codes. Initial material identification and component structure are vital for channelling wastes to the most environmentally friendly routes possible.
So whether you produce waste TV’s, microwaves and toasters or complex chemicals and solvents a TRADEBE Transfer Station may be able to offer an alternative option which better fits your needs and the Waste Hierarchy.
