Earlier this month, October 2024, members of the ZCCP team and the Cumbria Sustainability Network (CSN) had the unique opportunity to visit Cumbria Waste Management’s state-of-the-art Mixed Recycling Facility (MRF), at Hespin Wood. Appropriately dressed in hard hats, steel toe caps, high-vis jackets and safety glasses we had an in-depth tour of the plant by Duncan MacMillan, Operations Manager and Brian Willams, Commercial Director.
The visit provided vital insights into how our household and some commercial recycling is processed and highlighted the impact our efforts can have. Cumbria Waste Management is currently achieving an impressive 98% diversion of waste from landfill of the 90,000 or so tonnes of recyclate they take each year, with the goal of reaching 100%. The materials they process includes a range of plastics, aluminium and steel cans.
With landfill tax on the rise, reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill is a key priority and this tour showed us how small changes we can make at home and at work, will help support the goal.
Your guide to improving recycling efficiency
- Don’t throw batteries in the bin: Batteries can cause fires, so they should be disposed of separately.
- Avoid long items: Objects like hosepipes and ropes can get tangled in machinery, leading to breakdowns.
- Keep cardboard dry: Dry cardboard is much easier to recycle.
- Tetra paks: These should go in general waste for now, but the good news is that we are expecting to add a sorting machine to the MRF next spring. You can still recycle the plastic tops though!
- Wash out containers: Clean plastics, glass and tins ensure materials can be recycled properly.
- Keep lids on glass jars: No need to remove lids when recycling jars!
- Black trays: Try to avoid products with black trays, the sorting machinery is unable to identify them.
One fun fact we learned is that it can take as little as 45 days for an aluminium can be recycled and back on the shelf – so the next can of pop you drink could be part of a closed-loop recycling journey!
Mixed plastics
We were fascinated to see how the facility separates plastics into three domestic polymers, the main types of household plastics:
- Polyethylene Terepthalate (PET) – Generally used for water bottles and food packaging.
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) – Found in milk jugs, detergent bottles, and some plastic bags.
- Polyproylene (PP) – Used for things like yogurt pots and bottle caps.
The materials are sorted using a series of magnets, air currents, and gravity. The science and technology behind modern recycling centres are truly impressive, making the process faster, and more efficient whilst ensuring valuable materials are reused. The majority of the container material (glass, cans and plastics) they recycle is re-processed in the UK.
If enough people are interested (and we really recommend experiencing it for yourself) we will be organising another visit to the facility. It’s a great chance to see the impact of your recycling and learn how small changes can make a real difference to sustainability in Cumbria.