CRUSHING IT!

News

15 Jan

ENVIROCRUSH SHOWCASE THEIR WOW-WORTHY WASTE RIG

Staying abreast of waste management innovations ensures that we can meet the current demands of the world’s waste problem and anticipate future challenges.

This includes an increasing volume of building and demolition waste in Australia, which has grown to 25.2 mega tonnes per year, according to the latest National Waste Report.

It’s the largest source of waste in the country, but thankfully, around 20.2 mega tonnes of these materials are also recovered yearly.

In the construction-heavy state of Sydney, Envirocrush is thinking outside traditional methods with a mobile service that compacts waste in open-top skip bins while they’re sitting on-site, maximising the amount of waste inside the skip and consequently, significantly reducing the number of runs to the tip.

They do this using a unique crushing compactor arm built onto a support frame and an Isuzu FRR 110-260 Auto.

“Envirocrush is all about providing a smart, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to handle waste,” General Manager Elias Elias explains.

“By compacting waste on-site, our clients can reduce their waste collections, which leads to substantial cost savings on disposal fees.

“This flows through to environmental impacts—reducing the volume of waste means fewer trips to transfer stations, cutting down on vehicle emissions and promoting more sustainable waste management practices.

“It also keeps their work sites tidy and clean, making waste less likely to overflow or build up.

Looking like it belongs in either a dystopian film or the latest children's Pixar release, this long-wheelbase Isuzu FRR 110-260 Auto sports a hydraulic hinged arm with a heavy-duty spiked roller that will do its utmost best to crush almost any type of material put beneath it.

This could be light construction waste, wooden pallets, scrap metal and general waste. It can crush a fully loaded skip bin in an impressive five to ten minutes.

The technology has been available in Europe through French manufacturer Packmat System. Recognising a gap in Australia’s current waste management market, Envirocrush travelled to France in 2023 to meet with the Packmat System team.

They recently secured a partnership to import and adapt this design to local standards, bringing the technology back to Australian shores.

It’s a serious piece of equipment designed to create serious space savings. According to Envirocrush, clients can expect up to a 5:1 reduction in waste collections with their service, equating to a potential 80 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and 65 per cent reduction in associated carbon dioxide emissions.

The best part? Elias says the service will not only improve operational efficiency for their clients but also move things along in the wider world of waste management.

“Even though we are just starting out, we would like to see other players in the waste industry adapt and offer similar compaction technology and services for skip bins—competition will be good for opening up the market,” he says.

“Looking ahead to the next couple of years, we would like to expand our customer base and assist our current customers in enhancing their waste management practices.”

With the business still in relative infancy, having opened doors in early November this year, there’s plenty of time to see how things will pan out.

From a planning perspective, acquiring this system and engineering the truck locally has been key to achieving the start-up goals. Securing the most productive set of wheels and a reliable OEM was essential to support their vision the first time around.

“This is our first heavy vehicle, and it’s the backbone of our mobile waste compaction unit and service,” he notes.

“Efficiency is one of our key focuses; we want our customers to enjoy a more efficient waste management process to free up time and resources for their job at hand.”

Gilbert & Roach Huntingwood Sales Manager Greg Jones provided advice on the Isuzu truck model best suited to supporting the Packmat System.

This is the medium-duty Isuzu FRR 110-260 Auto, powered by a 6HK1-TCC turbocharged engine producing power of 191 kW (260 PS) @ 2,400 rpm and torque of 761 Nm @ 1,450 – 2,400 rpm.

The FRR has a GVM of 11,000 kg, offering the right amount of payload to transport the specialised unit and the necessary counterbalance for the pressure outputted by the hydraulic arm during compaction.

They chose the long wheelbase model FRR, which has an overall length of 8.605 metres. This provides space for the arm to do its business out the back while still being nimble enough to operate on worksites with size limitations.

This is complemented by an impressively neat turning circle of 16.4 metres (kerb to kerb), allowing the truck to be comfortably reversed and manoeuvred in tight spots.

Allison LCT2500 fully automatic transmission provides smooth handling and simplifies the driving experience, allowing drivers to focus on operating the compacting unit efficiently.

A specialised control system allows the operator to manage the compaction process from the comfort of the FRR's cabin with joystick controls that regulate the roller’s movements and a camera and sensor system to ensure safe operation.

The performance of the FRR has been crucial to the launch of Envirocrush, offering the durability to withstand punishing waste operations and the efficiency needed as a business in its early operating years.

Support from Gilbert & Roach Huntingwood has also been appreciated by the team.

“From the initial purchase in 2023, Gilbert & Roach has been reliable and responsive to our needs,” Elias says.

“The support from the whole team at the dealership is vital to our business operations.”