General Information
The case studies below illustrate the journeys that paper, bottles and cans take from Moray Recycling Centres and Points to
reprocessing into new goods at plants around the country. The Moray Council's role is primarily to provide bins and collection.
The people of Moray play an important role by separating different materials early on in the process.
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Drinks Cans and Food Tins Case Study
Last year 43 tonnes of aluminium/steel food and drinks cans were recycled in the Moray area . The recycling process saves
up to 95% of the energy used in primary production. 35 of the 54 recycling points and centres around the district accept
both drinks cans and food tins for recycling. The Moray Council collects from these on a weekly basis.
- Collection - A large proportion of the collection of cans from businesses is done by Moray Waste Watchers Recycling Project, run by the
Moray Reach-out charity in Buckie. All cans sent for recycling by The Moray Council are processed in Buckie where they are
sorted and baled, then transported to the smelting process. Over the next 2 to 3 years, areas such as Forres, Buckie and
Elgin will receive a kerbside collection service which will provide for mixed cans. The first stage of the collection is
to ensure the materials are clean; it is therefore necessary for householders to clean out food tins and remove contaminates.
- Sorting - Moray Waste Watchers sort through the mixed cans at their site in Buckie. The first stage separates the steel and the aluminium
cans using a magnetic sorter. Throughout the process, site operators sift through the cans to remove rubbish that may contaminate
the cans.
- Crushing/Baling - After the sorting stage, the separated steel and aluminium cans are crushed into blocks for transportation to the processing
centres.
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Aluminium Can Bales (Steel Process is very similar)
- Transportation - From Buckie, aluminium cans go to ALCAN's can recycling plant in Warrington in Cheshire, via Scotland's main transfer point
in Alloa.
- Shredding - Can bales are shredded into walnut size pieces in an industrial shredder. These shreds are sorted through a drum magnet to
remove any traces of steel.
- Decoating - The lacquer and paints used in the branding of the cans is removed using hot air pushed through the shreds. The hot air is
recycled and the paints and lacquers act as a fuel source for the process.
- Melting - The hot shreds are melted in 90 tonne furnaces and treated to produce a pure material.
- Casting - The solidifying aluminium is cast into 9 metre long "ingots" weighing around 20 tonnes, containing the equivalent of around
1.6 million used cans.
- Aluminium Can Packaging - To produce cans the aluminium ingots are heated to around 500° C and repeatedly rolled in several different stages to produce
sheets of aluminium. Using special pressing, cutting and rolling techniques the cans are produced. The cans are spray lacquered
in several steps whilst the metal is still hot. The final stage of can production is done at the filler plant where the producer
cleans and attaches ends to the cans, and finishes the labelling of the cans.
- Cans that can't be recycled - Aerosol cans should not be recycled as the pressurised container causes problems in the crushing stage of the process. Paint
and varnish tins may contain unknown substances that may cause problems in processing of the recyclate.
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Moray Can Recycling Statistics (March 2003 to April 2004)
|
Steel
|
Aluminium
|
Foil
|
Total
|
|
26 Tonnes
|
14 Tonnes
|
0.3 Tonnes
|
41 Tonnes
|
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Paper and Card Recycling Waste Journey
Last years mixed tonnage total reached around 645 tonnes of paper and card material for Moray. Paper and card can vary in
grades, for example used newsprint is considered an inferior grade to cardboard - separation is therefore an important part
of the recycling process. Recycled paper and card produce less emissions to air and water. Oxygen is used instead of chlorine
in the bleaching process which is a particularly more ecologically sound option.
- Collection - The Moray district has seventeen different collection sites for separate paper and cardboard recycling. From these points
the card and paper are taken to the central baling plant at Moycroft Recycling Centre in Elgin. There is also a weekly collection
of mixed cardboard and paper for businesses in Moray that also ends up at Moycroft.
- Cardboard - After removing contaminates, such as plastics, cardboard is baled into half tonne bales. Once 48 bales are accumulated, the
Smith/Anderson paper mill based in Leslie in Fife collect and process the material.
- Loose Paper and Card - Paper and Card is collected in containers at Moycroft Recycling Centre. Once a load of around 17 tonnes is accumulated at
the recycling centre the Load is transported to the Smith/Anderson paper mill.
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Glass Recycling & Waste Journey
Moray Total: 645 tonnes (March 03 - April 04)
- Collection - The majority of recycling points around Moray collect glass. At each point there is a three-bin system: green, clear and
brown for onsite separation. The full bins are collected by a private contractor.
- How is glass made? - Glass is made by melting together several minerals at very high temperatures. Silica (in the form of sand) is the main mineral
and this is combined with soda ash, and melted in a furnace at temperatures of 1700° C. Other chemicals are added to produce
different colours or properties.
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