Persistence pays off for PEF

Knox Transfer Station Recycling (KTSR) has been processing kerbside collections for a decade, with a continuous improvement process including audits from councils and regulatory bodies. But in developing a processed engineered fuel (PEF) product, KTSR needed to take another step up. The persistence in achieving the goal earned KTSR the accolade of a finalist’s place in the 2019 Outstanding Facility Award.

Transitioning to producing PEF not only required a serious upgrade in plant and protocols, it also required a shift in KTSR’s operating philosophy: from a business that sorts, separates and landfills, to a business that produces a high-quality alternative fuel product.

Working in conjunction with Knox City Council and collection partner WM Waste Management, KTSR services Melbourne’s Eastern suburbs, building its business on the extraction of kerbside recyclables including metals, cardboard, and e-waste. An early challenge was dealing with the variance of material received from hard waste collections with contamination – glass ceramics, and other inert material - being a prominent issue. 

Operationally, the development of the PEF product meant huge overhauls. While procuring a baler and wrapper was managed on-time and on-budgeteasily accomplished, the variability of incoming material dictated a challenging assessment period for other machinery. KTSR trialled a variety of plant in order to produce PEF feedstock with appropriate characteristics including contamination levels and particle size, and developed target metrics of low operating and maintenance costs with single-pass success. Material classifiers and screens went through several iterations of testing before suitable machinery could be sourced. All this meant KTSR had spent, and continue to spend over its forecasted budget. 

However, the resulting equipment setup and processes work well for the local market. KTSR diverts more than 20,000 tonnes per annum from landfill towards alternative fuel markets, with an eye on the development of local energy from waste markets, and the potential to modify for tyres and e-waste. KTSR also has an eye on improvement and opportunity, driven by a passion to reduce the impact of waste on our environment, and continues to refine its processes, products, and markets while finding opportunities in underutilised streams. 

Our judges said that KTSR has “honed the process to produce a better product”. They noted KTSR’s persistence in overcoming challenges to meet feedstock specifications, and praised the efforts to tackle alternative feedstocks.