BEATSON Clark has invested a further £1 million in expanding its on-site recycling plant in South Yorkshire and installing new equipment.
The glass packaging specialist partnered with REDWAVE to complete a turnkey plant expansion.
Beatson Clark said throughput at the plant is expected to increase by an average of 50% over the year, and the project has created 12 full-time jobs which were previously contracted.
As part of the investment, additional optical sorters, vibratory feeder conveyors, new screening machines and a JCB telehandler have been purchased.
Beatson Clark explained that the new equipment and additional inspection stages have reduced the false rejects of glass by over 50%.
“The addition of new optical sorters makes the process more precise and reduces the amount of good glass which gets rejected by the machines and sent to waste, thereby increasing the amount of quality cullet that can be used in the furnace,” said recycling plant manager Patrick Pagdin. “We are now seeing an increased output of both white flint glass cullet and gramber (green and amber glass cullet) thanks to easier automated sorting and improvements in the colour sorting process.”
Beatson Clark has also installed a 300 square metre canopy to cover infeed material and protect it from inclement weather conditions.
Colin Saysell, logistics and production planning manager at Beatson Clark, added, “Sustainability is an integral part of our philosophy as glass manufacturers. We are constantly looking at new ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint and cut waste. Our new, improved capability for resorting recycled glass at source will reduce the transport miles generated through the supply chain and will give us greater control of the quality of our cullet.”
