First waste-spec JCB Hydradig sold to UK recycling firm

Berkshire-based Hadley purchase new Hydradig 110W machine for their recycling and waste-management operation

HADLEY Recycling & Waste Management have taken delivery of a new JCB Hydradig 110W for use at their busy transfer station, located just outside Theale, where the company processes around 1,000 tonnes of mixed waste, including C&D materials. 

According to Paul Lock, operations director for Hadley, the business is one of the first customers in the UK to purchase the Wastemaster-spec Hydradig. ‘The JCB machine fits our front-end, pre-sort process perfectly,’ he said. ‘It has a small footprint but covers a large operational area and is very productive. Safety was another predominant reason behind the recent purchase with the driver able to see all four corners of the machine from the operator seat.’

Equipped with a swivelling selector grab for sorting waste, the Hydradig has quickly proven to be a dexterous and flexible tool for Hadley. This means the machine carries out dual operations – the heavy shifting of a vehicle or undertaking the job of manual pickers.

‘Skip sales are up 30% and bigger bins by 53%, so demand is going crazy,’ said Mr Lock. 

‘The waste is brought on to the site in these skips and bins gets tipped in the building for sorting and the Hydradig performs the pre-sort. The task was previously undertaken using a 5.5-tonne rubber-tracked mini-digger, sourced from another manufacturer.’

He continued: ‘We turned to Greenshields JCB, who ran through what the Hydradig could do. The 11.5-tonne Hydradig has a 4m turning circle and can lift 1,000kg at maximum reach. It is easy to use, dexterous and quick. And our drivers were all quickly up to speed, making the pre-sort operation look easy.’ 

The JCB Hydradig’s reversing fan on the radiator is said to deliver more productivity and provides reliability in an environment such as Hadley’s waste transfer site. 

Mr Lock explained: ‘Our site can get very dusty and with our previous machine we had to ‘blow out’ the radiator several times a day, which made it very hot. With the Hydradig, the operator simply presses a button to reverse the fan which, automatically, blows out dust from the radiator to maintain operation and keep the machine in good condition.’