We are thrilled to announce that Rowcon Recycling has taken a significant step towards a sustainable future by establishing Rowcon Waste Management and commissioning a brand-new recycling plant. As a company with 25 years of experience in waste management, specifically in concrete recycling operations, we are always looking for ways to improve our environmental impact. This investment is just one example of our commitment to creating a circular economy and reducing carbon emissions.
New plant a significant milestone in C&D recycling in Queensland
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, using recycled materials instead of virgin materials reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 40 to 70%. However, only 20 to 30 per cent of construction and demolition waste is reused or recycled. We want to change that statistic, and our new plant is a significant milestone in C&D recycling in Queensland.
Plant design and features
Designed in collaboration with Waste Initiatives, a company with over 45 years of experience in waste management and recycling systems, our new facility is now one of the state's largest and most advanced C&D sorting facilities. The plant has a processing capacity of 50 tonnes per hour of mixed C&D, which equates to about 120,000 tonnes per annum within standard operating hours. One of the standout features of the plant is its heavy-duty feed hopper and conveyor with an impact-resistant belt. This loading area can take the impact of a full loader bucket of material, making our operation more efficient and effective. Additionally, the plant includes a long-piece separator, which means there is no need for manual sorting of longer pieces of timbers, metals, and hard plastics.
The sorting process
The material is conveyed into an enclosed, air-conditioned five-bay sorting cabin with two pick lines – midsize (10-50mm) and oversize (50mm plus). This allows manual recovery of various C&D products, including timber, PVC, plastics, and cardboard. After the picking station, there are secondary, adjustable height magnets for further ferrous metal recovery from each fraction size. Then, the light material such as cardboard, paper, and lightweight plastics are removed from the hardcore product coming through via air vacuum separators and a second light removal with air density separators. Both are contained within an enclosed light cage.
Creating a clean end product
The result is an excellent product that can then be further processed into a variety of recycled concrete products to be used for various applications. We were already crushing and screening concrete and asphalt materials, producing road base and aggregate products. Still, this advanced recycling plant allows us to expand our waste material handling options to recover more materials from C&D.
Leading the charge in sustainable waste management
As more businesses shift towards increased use of recycled products for projects and diversion from landfills, we are proud to lead the charge in sustainable waste management. We look forward to continuing to improve our operations and impact the environment with innovative investments like this.
