Inside our MRFs…

It’s our business to process waste. Whether we’re providing skip hire services to domestic customers, commercial waste management to businesses, waste management services at local events or third party tipping for commercial customers, all of the waste ends up in the same place – our Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs).

We operate four MRFs across the south coast; one at Southampton, two in Portsmouth and one at Yapton. We process all materials in line with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) protocol. WRAP’s mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy by re-inventing how we design, produce and sell products, re-thinking how we use and consume products, and re-defining what is possible through reuse and recycling.

We’re dedicated to diverting waste from landfill and we endeavour to recycle up to 100% of the waste we handle. We have established recycling routes for a wide range of materials from the standard card, paper, metal and plastic bottles, to the more tricky materials such as rubble, hard plastics and mattresses. 

We’re always working behind the scenes to find new ways to recycle the materials that have proved difficult in the past. Any materials that cannot be reused or recycled are directed down the Energy from Waste (EfW) path wherever possible.

What waste do we accept?

• General waste
• Wood
• Metal
• Cardboard
• Plastics
• Cement
• Rubble
• Tiles
• Bricks
• Electrical cabling
• Glass
• Kitchen and bathroom fixtures and fittings
• Flooring
• Old toys and furniture
• Garden waste

What waste can’t we accept here, but can help you dispose of?

• Liquid waste of any kind
• Batteries
• Fridges
• Freezers
• Televisions or computer screens
• Fluorescent tubes
• Clinical waste

Our MRFs…

Dibles Wharf, Southampton
Located in Belvidere Road in central Southampton, Dibles Wharf operates our skip hire and third party tipping services. It also supports the £7.2m contract that we hold with Southampton City Council (SCC) which involves the commercial services arm of SCC (which provides waste management services to local businesses) disposing of waste at our state-of-the-art facility.

Tipner, Portsmouth
Located off Twyford Avenue on the outskirts of Portsmouth on the western side, Tipner operates our skip hire and third party tipping services. 

Quartremaine Road, Portsmouth
Located on the outskirts of Portsmouth on the eastern side, Tipner operates our skip hire and third party tipping services. 

Northwood Farm, Yapton
Located on Burndell Road in Yapton, Northwood Farm operates our skip hire, grab hire and third party tipping services. 

What happens to the waste brought into our MRFs?

Waste enters our MRFs either via our grab lorries where our drivers have collected waste from site, via skips that customers have filled or via the third party tipping service, whereby commercial customers have transported their waste to the MRF themselves. In this instance, the waste is weighed on our weighbridge to determine the cost of disposal.

However it arrives here, the process thereafter is the same. Our site foreman will carry out an initial waste inspection before directing it for a mechanical pre-sort. From there, the waste is sorted into three categories: non-recoverable waste, waste that can be immediately slotted into pre-segregated waste streams (i.e. cardboard recycling) and other waste.

This non-recoverable waste is sent for end disposal, with as much of this as possible being directed down the Energy from Waste route. The other waste is then further sorted to determine its type, with the best route being selected. The types of materials included in this category include wood, metal, plasterboard, small light fraction and small heavy fraction.

Small heavy fraction is materials such as soil and stones that are heavy and these are segregated accordingly. Small light fraction generally consists of materials such as plastic films, foams, small pieces of paper, textiles, and other lightweight materials that are commonly found in mixed waste streams. During the sorting process, these small and lightweight materials can be separated from the rest of the waste using various techniques and further processed or sent for specialised recycling, depending on their composition and recyclability.

The wood will be sent for end disposal, which is often Biomass. The metal is recovered and reused/recycled wherever possible. The plasterboard is recovered by way of breaking it down to remove and safely dispose of the hazardous elements (gypsum), with the individual parts being separated and recycled accordingly.

Waste stats and facts

• TJ Waste processed over 115,500 tonnes of waste in 2022.
• We delivered 23,400 skips over the year.
• The UK generated 222.2 million tonnes of total waste in 2018, with England responsible for 84% of this.
• It is estimated that the UK generated 33.9 million tonnes of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste in 2021.
• The recycling rate for Waste from Households increased in all UK countries in 2021 except Northern Ireland. The recycling rate for England was 44.1%, 48.4% in Northern Ireland, 41.7% in Scotland, and 56.7% in Wales.
• Figures for 2021 show that 63.2% of UK packaging waste was recycled.
• In the UK, we recycle around 80% of the paper we use and 82% of drinks cans but only 45% of plastics.
  

If you’d like to know more about our MRSs, please get in touch! You can also explore our waste management services…

Sources:
recyclingbins.co.uk
gov.co.uk