CDE recycling plant doubles production for CCC Waste

Construction and demolition waste-recycling investment pays dividends for North West aggregates firm

LIVERPOOL-based CCC Waste have grown to become one of the largest recycling and waste-management operators in the North West. Committed to environmental best practices, the business – which also specializes in haulage and excavation – recently partnered with wet-processing experts CDE to commission a cutting-edge waste-washing plant to help it achieve its ultimate aim of zero waste to landfill.

In Liverpool, construction and demolition (C&D) waste is abundant, and CCC Waste process more than 15,000 tonnes of recycled materials per week. With such waste volumes readily available, the company, operating from its 35-acre site in Kirkby, recognized that a modern technological solution was needed to close the loop on construction waste.

‘We wanted to reduce the volume of material being sent to landfill, provide effective circular economy solutions for our customers, and increase our production volumes,’ explained CCC Waste director, Sean Munro.

‘We process a large variety of waste, from C&D waste to those generated by households, including plastics, cards, and so much more. Many of these streams contain recyclable materials. In particular, recycled aggregates are a large part of our business and an area where we see great potential for further development in pursuit of our zero waste ambitions.’

Operating a dry crushing and screening plant, the company faced challenges when processing damp materials during the wet months of the year. This resulted in more frequent downtime and lower product yield, as a proportion of the hard-to-process material would be sent to landfill, an undesirable outcome for a company steadfast in its commitment to advancing the circular economy.

‘When we were dry processing, we couldn’t extract any sand; it was all mixed up with soils and we couldn’t get any of the sand out. Anything –50mm down was going to landfill,’ said Mr Munro. 

CDE business development manager Mike Bibby said a full technical solution was required to support CCC Waste to gain momentum in their mission to achieve 100% landfill diversion. He remarked: ‘It was evident that many of the downstream challenges around product quality, specification, and waste to landfill volumes, to name a few, were stemming from inefficiencies in the dry crushing and screening process.’

A wet processing solution, he added, would ‘maximize the recovery of washed recycled materials, which can be marketed at a premium, while eliminating associated disposal charges and delivering significantly for the business, both environmentally and commercially.’

Guiding CCC Waste as they took their first steps into the wet processing of materials, CDE proposed a solution comprising the R4500 primary scalping unit, which is suited to handling the challenging and variable nature of the company’s incoming C&D waste streams from across a broad range of industries.

A flexible and responsive plant that can cope with a wide variety of feed materials, the tailored recycling solution also features CDE’s AggMax scrubbing and classification system, which allows for the effective removal of organic material and other contaminants prevalent within CCC Waste’s feedstock, and the EvoWash sand washing system, complete with the patented Infinity dewatering screen, which offers unrivaled control of silt cut points to guarantee high-value, in-spec sands that are ready for the market straight from the belt.

The inclusion of CDE’s AquaCycle thickener for primary stage water management and a filter press ensures CCC Waste can recycle up to 95% of the process water for immediate recirculation and reuse, whilst producing a filter cake product for a range of applications to help achieve complete landfill diversion of incoming C&D waste.

Commissioned late last year, the C&D waste-washing plant has doubled the sand and aggregate output for the Merseyside aggregates firm. Every week, Mr Munro and his team produce 30,000 tonnes of washed recycled construction materials.

‘The plant has exceeded our expectations and doubled the size of our aggregates business,’ said Mr Munro. ‘Our customers are very happy with the material we’re producing, which is being supplied to many large developments in the area. Our 10–20mm aggregate, in particular, has proven extremely popular.’

The CDE recycling plant is currently processing up to 200 tonnes per hour and producing nine graded products, including sand and aggregates ranging from 0–2mm up to +80mm oversized, plus the filter cake by-product.

‘We were sending so much to landfill. The CDE plant has completely transformed our business, so much so that we’re even collaborating on a project to develop a concept brick from the filter cake by-product that requires no heat to cure and is low energy,’ commented Mr Munro. 

‘The idea is scalable, sustainable, and aligns with our long-term environmental vision. It means we’re diverting 100% of our construction, demolition, and excavation waste from landfill.’

CDE’s CustomCare team, which focuses on providing key local customer support, will continue to work with CCC Waste to ensure the business achieves and maintains optimum efficiency throughout the lifetime of the plant.

Mr Munro concluded: ‘The level of aftercare support CDE has committed to delivering was important to us. It reassures us and cements the partnership. We’re both driving change in the waste-recycling space and the team is truly invested in our success.’