Corus joins forces with Solidcast to support steel can recycling
20 Nov 2003
demonstrated its commitment to helping local authorities hit their recycling targets, by providing new equipment to leading Hyde based recycling company, Solidcast.
Solidcast was set up in the early nineties to recycle cans. The company has steadily evolved and now has a large customer base across North West England, North Wales and West Yorkshire, servicing can banks and collecting bulk loads of steel and aluminium cans from local authority bring sites and kerbside collections. The company currently works with 31 local authorities and operates over 300 can bank sites.
The quantity of material being delivered to Solidcast’s operations in Hyde is steadily increasing and a growing number of local authorities are requesting bulk uplifts for material collected through kerbside collection schemes. In order to cope with this increase, Solidcast approached one of its long-standing recycling partners, Corus Steel Packaging Recycling (CSPR), to ask for assistance and support.
Solidcast identified a need for new equipment which would enable them to process the steel cans faster. CSPR responded by supplying a large-scale can crusher, allowing Solidcast to process five tonnes of steel per hour – the equivalent of 125,000 cans every hour, a significant increase from the one tonne per hour they had previously been able to process. Flattened steel cans will then be delivered in bulk to CSPR’s CanRoute centre at Rochdale, one of a network of 13 regional steel can collection centres
In addition, Solidcast sought CSPR’s assistance to cope with the increased level of local authority requests for bulk uplifts which were proving difficult with the existing equipment. CSPR has since provided Solidcast with four large containers which will increase the amount of steel cans Solidcast can collect from local authorities in the area. These containers should yield an estimated 500 tonnes per annum of steel cans – equivalent to 12.5 million cans!
As part of this ongoing partnership, Solidcast will provide CSPR’s CanRoute with all the steel cans it collects from current and future bring and kerbside schemes for a period of five years. Corus will then recycle the collected steel which will be used to make new steel products.
David Williams, CSPR’s Commercial Manager and Recycling Development Representative for the North and Scotland commented: “CSPR has been working closely with Solidcast for a number of years now and we have a very successful partnership. They are truly committed to increasing steel can recycling in North West England and North Wales and are constantly looking at ways to increase materials collected through recycling schemes so we were keen to help them further their good work.
“One of CSPR’s key aims is to invest in local and regional initiatives which raise the amount of steel cans being recycled and in this case, the new equipment will help Solidcast cope with the huge volume of steel cans that will be collected through the various local authority schemes operating in the area.”
Photo shows David Williams of CSPR and Peter Casey of Solidcast at the Hyde-based recycling company.
