Dig A Screener

The need to find a more compact and flexible way of screening inert waste has led a major transfer station and recycling facility in the North West of England to invest in a Dig A Screener REMU WL170 excavated-mounted screening bucket.

Based on a six-acre site in Wigan, with an adjoining two-acre hazardous waste transfer station, Blakeley’s Waste Management has witnessed substantial year on year growth over the past decade.

Established in 1982 as a single skip loader company, today it offers a complete range of waste collection services for industrial, commercial and domestic users with a fleet of 30 vehicles.

The company’s site is capable of handling in excess of 500 tonnes of waste a day, of which approximately 65 per cent is recycled. With inert waste accounting for a diminishing proportion of all materials handled, the company was keen to find a space saving and more manageable alternative to its three-way split screener.

“As the trade side of our business has grown, we’ve invested heavily in the effective use of our site,” commented Blakeley’s managing director, Stephen Blakeley.

“In the past two years we’ve extended our materials recycling facility by 12,000 sq.ft, completely modernised our transport office and weighing facilities and just completed the concrete hard standing of the entire six-acre area.

“And while C&D waste still accounts for a third of all materials we handle, our Powerscreen Chieftain screener was taking up too much space to process and grade it.”

Attached to a New Holland 25 tonne excavator, a Dig A Screener REMU WL170 has provided the ideal solution. The WL Series bucket is the perfect machine to screen and mix awkward, wet or sticky materials.

The unique narrow bucket design with its straight sides and round blades reduce the risk of clogging to an absolute minimum. The blade design also means oversize objects are repelled rather than crushed, which prevents excess wear, while maximising material screening.

“The Dig A Screener does the same job as before, but with a significantly smaller footprint” commented Stephen. “At the same time it gives us the flexibility to respond to constantly changing flows of inert waste material.”