Service Waste triples alternative fuel production with UNTHA
Fort Worth-based Service Waste has halved its landfill costs, tripled throughputs, and boosted operator efficiency by 50 %, with the investment in a new UNTHA XR3000C stationary shredder.
The family-owned Texan organization originally took delivery of the first UNTHA XR shedder to be commissioned in the USA, almost a decade ago. Over the years, the machine has processed an average of 480 t of commercial, industrial, and pallet waste per week, transforming this locally collected residual material into an alternative fuel for the cement industry.
The UNTHA XR3000C at Service Waste in Fort Worth/Texas
© Untha
But fast forward to 2024 and with customer demand continuing to rise, Service Waste sought to supercharge its shredding capabilities once again. A new, larger 24-ton XR shredder therefore made the 9000 km journey from UNTHA America’s manufacturing headquarters in Austria. Following a 1-week installation and testing period, the electric-driven machine is now fully operational.
The versatile machine with a 9’8” aperture, can comfortably handle a range of difficult, bulkier input materials, with the shredder currently configured to produce a 2 ¾” particle size. In-built resistance to foreign objects such as rogue metal content, protects the machine from damage and ensures this material can be extracted with ease. The result is a high-quality, homogenous, and ‘on-specification’ fraction, which acts as a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for cement kilns.
Mark Williams, sales manager at UNTHA America and Robert Dunlap, general manager, Service Waste, in front of the UNTHA XR with a 3D model of the shredder
© Untha
Commenting on Service Waste’s investment to support continued expansion, the firm’s General Manager, Robert Dunlap said: “We’ve worked hard to build the reputation of our multi-generation, family-run company, which has seen demand rise over the years. But the sustainability buzz is growing – especially when it comes to energy recovery – which means we need to further bolster our capacity. The existing XR was already processing more than double the volume of waste we’d first forecast, back in 2014, which saw us halve our landfill costs. But wear and tear is inevitable with such a workhorse. With the new, bigger XR, we’ve tripled our throughput, while halving our manpower requirements.”
The flexibility of the industrial shredder means that Service Waste can process even more material streams in the future, if they wish, with the ability to achieve different alternative fuel specifications to suit varied off-taker requirements. “When we made the decision to invest in a new machine, returning to UNTHA was a ‘no brainer’,” continued Robert. “Our criteria revolved around shredder durability, throughputs, uptime performance, operator safety, energy efficiency, and ease of maintenance. The XR ticks all the boxes – a testament to its strength and reliability.”
Service Waste maintains the UNTHA XR using internal resources but relies on UNTHA America for continued spare and wear parts. The incumbent UNTHA XR shredder has been shipped to another facility in the Southeastern region of the United States, for refurbishment and reuse.
