Baler to Divert Additional 30,000 Tonnes of Waste from Landfill

Shanks (UK) has installed a baler at its Jenkins Lane facility in East London which will divert an additional 30,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.

Part of the ELWA municipal contract, the new baler at Jenkins Lane is the first phase of a development programme to improve the fuel–making capacity of the business.  Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is baled in the machine and then used for the production of green electricity. The second phase of the programme will include the integration of a waste shredding unit which will further refine the quality of Shanks’ RDF.

Part of the 25-year municipal contract with the East London Waste Authority (ELWA), the Jenkins Lane facility accepts waste from three of the four London Boroughs serviced by the contract: Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Redbridge. The installation of the baler is an important step for the site as it provides it with the capability to produce RDF for the first time. 

The ELWA business manages over 530,000 tonnes of waste per annum and will see diversion rates rise to around 80% by the end of the financial year. This increase represents a 45% improvement over the last four years. As a result, fuel placed to market will exceed 200,000 tonnes per annum and recycled materials such as paper, green waste and metals are expected to exceed 130,000 tonnes in the coming year.                                           

Managing Director of Shanks UK, Peter Eglinton said:

“We are delighted to install the second baler at our Jenkins Lane facility, which is capable of diverting an additional 30,000 tonnes from landfill. This shows our commitment to make more from waste by offering improved diversion rates for our client.”