New C&D waste recycling plant for Grundy & Co

One of the leading recycling and waste management companies in the North West of England is gearing up for a new 120 tonne per hour construction and demolition waste recycling plant to be completed. Grundy & Co Excavations is based in Widnes and the company has been serving the local market for forty years with Kevin Grundy remaining at the helm for all this time.

"This new construction waste recycling plant from CDE is the latest in a long line of investments that we as a company have made in order to ensure that the business continues to grow" says Kevin. The installation of the new construction and demolition waste recycling plant from Northern Ireland company CDE Global is in the final stages and will be fully operational by April 2010.

When asked why Grundy & Co made this investment in a new washing plant Kevin Grundy explains that growing confidence in recycled sand and aggregate products from their customers was a key factor. "Over the last few years there has been an acceptance in the market that recycled sand and aggregates represent a quality product with a huge range of potential applications" explains Kevin. "This is largely due to the development of high quality processing systems and when we analysed the options available to us it was clear that the CDE plant represented the best option on the market."

Grundy & Co currently operate a dry crushing and screening process at their site in Widnes and believe the introduction of the new washing plant will allow them to further expand their customer base for the recycled materials they produce. Sean Parry is Grundy's Project Manager for the installation of the CDE washing plant and has seen many major developments in the sixteen years that he has been with Grundy & Co. "By producing much cleaner materials as a result of the washing plant we know from interest expressed already that there will be new markets opened up for us once this plant is completed" says Sean. "Cleaner, washed products automatically create a higher level of confidence in the quality of the product from our customers, thus increasing their application."

The level of enthusiasm from all at Grundy & Co is tangible when you visit the site and all involved are eagerly anticipating the boost that this new washing plant from CDE will give to the business. "We are itching to get the thing running so we can realise the potential that we know exists" says company Director, Stephen Grundy. "There is no doubt that this will be one of the most significant developments that we as a company have made in terms of its potential to allow us to take the business onto the next level."

The company committed to the investment in the new washing plant for construction and demolition waste material in the late summer of 2009 and speaking to Tom Powell, Grundy & Co Financial Controller, it is clear that the timing of their decision raised a few eyebrows. "A lot of people thought we were mad committing to this substantial investment at the time we did given the situation that the construction industry found itself in" explains Tom. "We have always tried to keep driving the business forward and this was the next step. By waiting for the upturn we ran the risk of missing the boat and we felt that the timing was right for a decision to allow us to be in a position to take advantage of the very real opportunities for washed recycled sand and aggregates."

It is also clear in talking to Tom Powell that the company did not merely jump into this decision and there was a very clear process to determine the plant's viability. "We conducted an extensive amount of our own research with our existing customers and those that we would like to add as customers and this demonstrated to us that the market that existed for the washed recycled sand and aggregates justified the investment in the new plant from CDE" says Tom.

In support of this process Grundy & Co also availed of the customised Return on Investment Calculator that CDE Global offer their customers. This system allows those considering an investment in a washing plant for construction and demolition waste material to establish a defined payback period for the new plant which takes into consideration the initial capital investment required along with plant running costs and balances this against the market value of the final products produced by the plant. "We found the ROI calculator offered by CDE to be a very useful tool" says Tom Powell. "The defined payback period that was the output of the calculation made a very strong case for the investment in the plant. We checked these figures ourselves again and again and again to make sure they presented a true picture and are more than satisfied by the potential offered by this new plant for a quick return on our significant investment."

This plant for Grundy & Co will represent the latest in a long line of similar plants that have been installed by CDE Global in the UK market over the last decade. The plant offers customers a means of recycling construction and demolition waste material through the introduction of a modular plant which includes a feed system, the AggMax attrition & trash removal system, ProGrade screening and classification plant for aggregate products and an EvoWash sand washing phase. The inclusion of full closed circuit water recycling through the introduction of the AquaCycle thickener and GHt filter press system allows for the plants to be installed in industrial locations such as that occupied by Grundy & Co. "Without the full water recycling system plants such as this would not be available to companies such as Grundy & Co due to the requirement for ponds to cope with the waste water from the washing process" explains Sean Kerr, CDE Project Manager for the Grundy & Co plant. Final product output from the plant will be 2 washed recycled sands and 4 washed recycled aggregates. The plant produces no waste material as the final cake from the GHT filter press has a number of applications including canal lining and landfill capping. The forward thinking approach of Grundys in relation to this element is also apparent as the company seeks to ensure zero waste from the plant. "We have already conducted significant research into possible areas where we can sell the filter cake product and have a number of active leads that suggest an ongoing requirement for this material" says Tom Powell.

Following completion of the installation and commissioning of the new washing plant for Grundy & Co a full case study and project video will be completed. Details of the availability of this can be obtained by contacting Peter Craven at CDE Global.

www.cdeglobal.com