Infrared technology is ensuring that recycled waste in South Holland is processed more effectively and has helped to reduce contamination.
A new Residual Recycling Facility plant run by South Holland District Council’s recycling reprocessor has recently been installed at Barkston Heath to help re-process materials that get left over from the first phase of sorting.
The new technology is in addition to the more manual sorting system at the council’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) based in Caythorpe.
All of South Holland’s recycling gets taken to the MRF site where it gets processed and sorted into main recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, glass, aluminium cans, steel cans and plastic bottles.
However, small items sometimes slip through the sorting lines at the MRF due to the machinery not recognising smaller objects.
Mixed materials or those that are stuffed inside containers can also get missed.
The new facility is especially designed to recognise specific packaging with infrared sorters used to separate materials out.
This sorts materials into categories including plastic film, tetrapacks and cardboard/paper, pots tubs and trays, non-ferrous cans and ferrous cans.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, portfolio holder for waste management, said: “Since our campaign to reduce recycling contamination started the rate has dropped from around 13 per cent to 8 per cent over the past few months.
“This is partly due to the new sorting system but also down to South Holland residents and we thank them for their vital help.”
