Page 32 from: West Coast report + Plastics Special

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recyclates of high-quality and low con-
tamination. The machinery delivering
the end product forms barely 30% of
the plant’s footprint. Much of the rest
is taken up with making sure the fridg-
es are safe for disposal in the first
place.

DIRT – THEN GOLD
For Sant, this is ‘mining for dirt’. By
making sure all the contaminants

including the challenging blowing
agents are safely out of the way, the
company can focus on the ‘gold’
that’s left.
When they are delivered, the appli-
ances, including washing machines,
are assessed for reuse potential
because, within the complex, there is
a team of employees refurbishing
those in good enough condition. It is
interesting to see how labour-inten-

sive this department is but Sant insists
it is justifiable on business grounds
alone, as well as providing a valuable
service to the local community.
Those appliances destined for recy-
cling are placed on moving racks to
ensure compressor oils are drained.
CFC gases in older fridges and pen-
tane gases in more modern fridges
are also removed during the process.
The shredding also deals with blowing
agents and any pockets of trapped
gas. The company is adamant it is
among the cleanest, safest and most
environmentally friendly recycling
facilities in the UK – and collates offi-
cial data to prove it.

‘ROLLS-ROYCE FACILITY’
You sometimes hear talk in the indus-
try that AO Recycling has built a
‘Rolls-Royce facility’, suggesting
money was no object when the proj-
ect was conceived. It’s a comment
that frustrates Sant – although the
funding principles were unusual.
‘It’s right that we didn’t tell MeWa
they could have a certain sum to build
it. We said: “It has to meet the regula-
tions so you tell us what that will
cost”. The environment and legisla-
tion had to come first. But it also has
to able to do that 24/7. If we invested
“Rolls-Royce” money to achieve that
it was only because we had to be sure
it was working at 100% efficiency,
100% of the time.’
Another novel feature of the contract
was that AO was to be compensated

by its partner if those high standards
were not achieved and maintained.
‘We’re using new technologies so
there were learnings for them as well
as us in the process. It was their first in
the UK for four years and there hadn’t
been a new fridge plant in this country
for a decade,’ Sant says.
Even with the level of demand required
of its contractor, AO Recycling engi-
neers and operational staff continue to
increase the efficiency.

CARING FOR ALL CUSTOMERS
AO’s ‘customer concern’ applies
throughout the supply chain. Take the
deliveries to the facility as an exam-
ple. Drivers are given guaranteed one-
hour slots which ensure they can take
their rest periods as the appliances
are unloaded.
‘Our suppliers had been frustrated
their drivers were waiting in queues to
unload and only then could they go
on a break. Now they come onto the
site and take just 15 minutes before
parking up. The tacho can then be
turned off for 45 minutes during the
unloading. People didn’t believe we
could achieve that sort of system but
we did. We are determined we will
never turn away a trader.’
Not all deliveries are the same.
AO-collected goods are presented in
single-layer storage protected by the
packaging used on the customer’s
new appliance, an important factor in
ensuring high-quality recycling. It also
means the fridges are intact, whereas

Andritz MeWa was told: ‘Tell us the cost of meeting the regula-
tions in full’.

Used fridges being stored before the recycling process. AO Recycling’s ‘gold’: the shredded plastic and metal it sells on.

Reusable goods are diverted into a dedicated facility.

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