Issues facing MRFs regarding material output quality

Mike JeffersonCommercial Director,Valpak

Valpak – background

Established in 1997 as a Producer Compliance Scheme for Packaging Waste Expanded Producer Compliance activities to include WEEE and batteries (pre-compliance). Currently around 4000 members Operational Recycling Subsidiary (Valpak Recycling) established in 2003 and now handling around 400kt of recyclables each year. Customers include UK businesses, Local Authorities and Waste Management Companies MRF in Preston (Valpak Recycling North West)

Valpak’s MRF

Handles 75tpa of commercial and domestic recyclables Automatic sortation equipment to process the ‘light packaging fraction’ (plastic bottles, plastic trays, steel and aluminium cans) Manual sortation line for grading commercial streams Main outgoing products, Plastic: PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS; Metals: steel cans, aluminium cans; Paper: cardboard

Quality management on site at the MRF On site Quality Manager and Material Inspector on

each shift All incoming loads booked in by grade as well as

material type All incoming loads quality tested with sortation

grades sampled and analysed All outgoing processed material sampled and

analysed Regular inspection of key stages in the sort process All outgoing loads inspected and signed off by a

qualified member of staff prior to leaving the site

Quality management off-site Team of three staff working with third party

processing partners and suppliers Viewing container / vehicle loadings and

inspecting material ready for shipment Inspection reports completed and photographs

taken. All logged at head office All loads exported outside of Europe are

photographed and signed off by suitably qualified staff at head office

Why is quality management important? Quality is important in any product! It is being purchased against a specification Legal compliance (note: destination country’s and

UK’s) Financial reward Consistency of demand – in good markets and

bad Reputation – low quality material often supplied

to poor quality factories

What can MRFs do?

Manage quality throughout the process Train staff and develop a quality culture (and

reward good performance) Monitor and maintain key steps in sortation

process throughout the shift Collect and evaluate important data:

Quality – in / out / residue Input quality vs. production throughput Production throughput vs. output

quality Work with the suppliers Understand the reprocessing process

The cost to MRFs of poor quality outgoing material

Reduced revenue for material (ongoing if consistency in quality an issue)

Low / no demand when market conditions are poor

Risk of prosecution and costs (direct and indirect) Cost of rework Cost of returning goods Cost of processing claims

Source separated and commingled collections Not just two options but many in between Balance between (1) cost of collection (2) cost of

processing at MRF (3) value derived from material Our experience: sorting of the light packaging

fraction works More challenging from a processing perspective

to add paper and glass Quality: doesn’t matter how you get there…but

you have to get there

What can Local Authorities do? Educate and promote best practise Look at ways of rewarding good practise and

dealing with those who contaminate material on collection rounds

Look at potential quality issues when designing collection schemes – volume vs. quality / potential demand

Request quality data from the MRF to inform decisions and monitor progress

Link price / gate fees to quality in contracts?

Why is quality becoming increasingly important?

Increasingly demanding end market applications Availability of material in a global market Increasingly tight legislation in Europe and

elsewhere As the market matures quality gives a

competitive advantage

Summary Consideration needs to be given to quality during

the early stages of the planning process Each link in the supply chain needs to

understand the operations and requirements of the others

Good quality material is linked to sustainability Quality management makes financial sense Quality is likely to continue to become

increasingly important