JN Civils brings waste processing in house with new CDE recycling plant

Overview of the new wash plant at JN Civils in Blackpool, UK (Image: CDE)

Now in operation at the company’s Olympic Way facility, the new plant has a capacity of up to 150 tonnes per hour (tph).

It will offer JN Civils greater control of its waste streams, improve operational efficiency and recover high-quality materials, according to CDE.

Previously, the Northwest civil engineering and utilities contractor was transporting waste material from its own operations to another facility with a CDE plant.

Operations manager David Scott explained, “It was a workable solution to recover as much material as possible, but haulage costs, processing fees and delays in being able to return those materials back to use meant we needed a more sustainable option over the long term.”

This experience of how CDE technology operates, coupled with a site visit to another customer (IMS in Dublin) to see the plant in a live environment, solidified the company’s decision to partner with CDE on the project.

“We looked at what was available in the market, not just in terms of the technology itself, but also the expertise and support available to us once the plant is commissioned,” said David.

“CDE was outperforming on all fronts. The other options wouldn’t have delivered the capacity we needed, nor the quality. When it came to aftercare and keeping us up and running, CDE’s availability and proactivity was unmatched.”

The plant at JN Civils includes an R4500 belt feeder with integrated feed hopper, an AggMax scrubbing and classification system, EvoWash sand washing system with patented Infinity dewatering screening technology, an AquaCycle thickener for primary stage water management, and the X3 ProPress filter press.

It is engineered to process CD&E waste in a compact urban environment with a small footprint, producing a range of washed and graded materials, including fine sand, coarse sand and aggregates, such as 10-4mm, 20-40mm and 80-40mm.

An EA-certified organisation, the company is aiming to recycle 90% of its waste to recover high-quality recycled sand and aggregates for reuse across its own projects and for sale to the wider construction market.

“This facility will allow us to reach that ambitious goal, initially helping us to recycle up to 80% of our excavation waste, extracting sand and stone materials to meet product specifications,” David said.

Since commissioning, the plant has also created new commercial opportunities for JN Civils and helped maximise profitability.

While recovered products are used within the company’s own civil engineering operations, the additional processing capacity means surplus materials are sold externally to construction and groundworks businesses, as part of a new revenue stream.