The UK’s first refrigeration compressor dismantling facility has been installed at Environcom’s recycling plant in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
The new machinery, which is only the second of its kind in Europe, enables the safe dismantling of the compressors, allowing recycling of its metal constituent parts and capture of the refrigerants.
The machine, known as CARRIE (Compressor Automated Removal and Recycling Equipment), has been introduced to raise standards on compressor recovery within the UK, Environcom says, while also reducing the number of compressors currently being exported and recycled in uncontrolled environments.
The new machinery will process around 10,000 compressors every week. This is expected to generate up to 28 tonnes of copper and 252 tonnes of steel every month, to be returned into manufacturing.
The firm said: ”CARRIE will enable the valuable raw metals found inside compressors to be extracted and recovered within the UK. Producers of refrigerators and cooling appliances will also benefit from the new facility, as it will provide an evidenced audit trail for a greater volume of compressors.”
The firm added: ”Up until now, there has been no capacity to dismantle compressors in the UK and limited capacity in Europe. Most compressors have been shipped outside of their country of origin, and delivered to countries where recycling is not undertaken to the same standards as within the EU. The beauty of CARRIE is that the process is fully automated and carried out within a controlled environment, achieving the highest standards for environmental control and employee health and safety. By avoiding the need for any transportation abroad the carbon footprint of recycling is also being reduced.”
Cris Stephenson, Environcom CEO, said: “Ensuring that we have safe and efficient compressor dismantling process right here in the UK is crucial in the drive towards a more circular economy.”
