The US company with five locations in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts processes around 650,000 tons of construction and demolition waste per year. Founded around 30 years ago as a family business, it is now one of the largest C&D recyclers in the region. Nevertheless, valuable non-ferrous metals ended up in land fill for years.
Money straight in land fill
ReSource Waste had already been using eddy current separators before switching to STEINERT. However, recovery fell short of expectations, breakdowns were frequent and spare parts had long delivery times. If a machine broke down, separation had to be bypassed. The non-ferrous metals went directly into the residual waste stream. Instead of generating revenue, ReSource Waste paid for their disposal.
"In the beginning, we opted for the cheaper option," recalls Gilbert Sano, Director of Projects and Maintenance at ReSource Waste Services. "But as we have grown, we have realised that cheap is not the answer."
Measurable from day one
In 2018, ReSource Waste installed its first STEINERT eddy current separator and the difference was immediately measurable. "When we integrated the machine into our operations, the effect on recovery was immediately apparent," says David DeVito, VP of Operations at ReSource Waste Services. Across all locations, non-ferrous recovery measured against total input material rose from 0.4 to over 1.4 percent. With an annual throughput of 650,000 tons, that is a considerable difference.
The investment also paid off financially faster than expected. The calculated amortisation period was 18 months, but in fact it was around 15. "When you look at the service life and recovery, the investment has paid for itself so quickly that the decision was easy," says DeVito.
Nine years, no major maintenance
Gilbert Sano had prepared himself to be able to repair the new machines quickly in order to minimise downtimes. "That wasn't necessary. I have a STEINERT machine that I haven't had to touch for major maintenance for nine years," says Sano.
This is crucial in the C&D sector, as turnover is directly linked to uptime. Small non-ferrous fragments are practically impossible to sort by hand, as the material moves too quickly and the parts are too small. Every hour of downtime means lost revenue and higher disposal costs.
Six machines, five locations
After the first machine was installed, any further decisions about purchasing were easy. Today, ReSource Waste operates six STEINERT eddy current separators at all five sites, each the right size for the throughput. "After purchasing the first STEINERT eddy current separator, the decision to purchase the next five was a no-brainer," says Sano.
Over the years, the business relationship has developed into a genuine partnership. "We can pick up the phone at any time and have an open conversation," says DeVito. "We learn from each other." Initial concerns about working with a German manufacturer from afar have also proven unfounded: STEINERT's US spare parts warehouse in Kentucky and the on-site service have proven to be reliable.
Sano has a clear message for C&D recyclers who still rely on manual sorting or low-performance technology: "If you don't use STEINERT, you'll lose money. The machines separate material that was thought to be impossible to separate."
All information about the STEINERT EddyC eddy current separator and testing options: https://steinertglobal.com/sorting-systems/magnetic-separation/eddy-current-separators/steinert-eddyc/.