Landfill : UBU Environmental targets 100% landfill diversion with CDE plant

UBU Environmental recently sponsored PAS 115, a BSI specification that seeks to utilise non-hazardous material recovered from its business operations as a suitable substrate for the future use in soils or soil amendments.

Growing media is a rich material other than soil that can be used to support the healthy growth of trees, shrubs and other plants. In 2016, UBU partnered with CDE to commission a turnkey recycling plant to process up to 50,000 tonnes of road sweeper and gully waste annually. With a capacity of 250 tonnes per day, the plant can recycle roadsweeper waste to recover a variety of sand and aggregate products with significant commercial value.

The CDE plant is enabling UBU to recover up to 50 tonnes per day of washed aggregates of various sizes and up to 125 tonnes per day of washed sand which are being supplied to the local construction industry as a high-quality alternative to virgin quarried sand and aggregate. CDE technology is currently supporting UBU to divert 85% of its customers’ road sweepings and gully waste from landfill and the business is now targeting total utilisation of incoming material by sponsoring PAS 115. As well as in-spec sand and aggregates, the CDE plant produces an additional dried filter cake product.

Part of a new and innovative recycling initiative designed to enhance sustainability in the north west, UBU is advocating for the use of the filter cake from its treatment process as a suitable alternative to virgin soil in the growing media sector.

Boasting the same essential properties as soil, including nutrition, irrigation and an optimum environment for the physical stability of roots, organic material recovered from UBU’s plant has the potential to be repurposed and returned to the ecosystem to support future biodiversity and plant life.