High Speed Hamilton.

Hamilton Waste & Recycling Ltd has invested in a new Terex Ecotec TBG 630 high speed shredder from the recycling machinery experts Molson Green as the East Lothian based recycler continues to position itself at the forefront of a more resource efficient Scotland…

From their main location, Smeaton Recycling Centre in Musselburgh, family-owned Hamilton Waste & Recycling have built a strong reputation throughout central Scotland as one of the leading waste management companies since their formation in 2002.

Currently operating from three locations, their flagship Smeaton processes up to 170,000t of waste per year from Edinburgh, East Lothian and the surrounding areas. It has already been recognised for modelling excellence when it was awarded the prestigious title of, “Material Recycling Facility of the Year”, in 2018 at the MRW awards held in London.

The site that was first opened in 2014 currently runs over 30 wagons, offering a mix of Skip Hire, C&D, C&I, kerbside collections and aggregate recycling streams. Located just off the Edinburgh bypass, the centre is ideally located to service customers throughout central Scotland.

But volume is not the key for David Hamilton, who said, “We are totally committed to the concept of giving waste new life and in doing so supporting the development of a more circular economy here in Scotland. We are already – recycling and diverting 98% of all materials that come through our gates from landfill, which is well ahead of the Government’s 2025 target. But we are still striving to improve!”

Smeaton Recycling Centre is brimming with state-of-the-art recycling equipment, including a mix of mobile and static material, handling and processing equipment ranging from excavators, crushers, screeners, and shredders, through to a full SRF plant. But with such a diverse mix of waste streams, versatility is extremely important when evaluating potential new mobile equipment.

With a Terex Ecotec TDS 820 slow speed shredder already proving its worth in the Hamilton fleet, David and Keir had no hesitation in speaking to the recycling equipment experts at Molson Green when looking to replace their high-speed shredding machinery. Previously running two machines with one on a, “stand-by”, basis, finding a machine that can offer the level of reliability required is difficult when operating in such a tough application.

David said, “Many other recycling companies shy away from processing difficult materials such as mattresses and plasterboard, but we have invested in the right machinery and developed processes to be able to deal with these properly. Our experience with the TDS 820’s ability to process mattresses so effectively, as well as its fantastic reliability, has given us great confidence in Terex Ecotec products. Partnering this with the level of knowledge from the Molson Green team throughout the process and their nearby depot in Glasgow, it was only natural to seriously look at the TBG 630.

“Although we were initially looking at coming away from high-speed shredders and steering more towards the mid-speed offering, during a site visit by the product specialists at Molson Green, their team were able to analyse the material we were looking to process and advise the new TBG 630 as the right machine for us. Based on previous experience with high-speed products, I was a little dubious. But with the successful demonstration proving the 630 gave us an increase of 25-30% on material throughput with no compromise on product quality, all with 20% less fuel consumption, I was happy to accept their recommendation.”

Powered by a 661HP Scania V8 DC16 engine, the tracked TBG 630 has been designed to give the perfect balance of high levels of material throughput, with low fuel consumption.  The open fronted feeder enables the machine to be fed quickly and easily from the rear, using six rows of heavy duty drag chains. 

With this independent hydrostatic drag chain and feed wheel system, the machine has the ability to vary infeed speed depending on the engine load and rotor RPM. The feeder can also be stopped, started, and reversed from the push of a button on the remote. A novel feature is the feed wheel lift/downward assist, which sees the feed wheel rise over material, whilst applying a downward force to break up and push material into the rotor.

At the heart of the machine is the 1,100mm diameter x 1,7500mm wide swinging hammer rotor.  This robust, direct drive rotor rotates at 1000rpm and incorporates 36 up-swinging hammers. With a wide selection of hammer designs, customisable, interchangeable screens are available which ensure the desired end product material specification is met. 

Metal contaminants are always a concern when using a high-speed machine, especially in a recycling application like here with Hamilton Waste & Recycling, but the TBG 630 has a clever screen kickback system.  Should unshreddable material enter the shredder, a pressure sensor will automatically release the screen allowing the material to quickly pass through, reducing the risk of accidental damage.  The screen can also be released by the operator using the remote control. 

Euan Fairweather, Molson Sales Manager said, “Hamilton Waste & Recycling are extremely well respected in the area and the fact they have chosen to move to the Terex Ecotec range of processing machines serviced by our expert after sales team is a fantastic endorsement for us. With our comprehensive recycling equipment range and commitment to raise the bar for after sales support, I hope we can continue to develop our relationship and become a key supplier for this forward-thinking business.”