The advertising section of the website (below) describes the tour:
'The MRF has an education room and viewing gallery where schools and community groups can find out about recycling and observe the facility in operation.
School visits last for 2 hrs and consist of a short presentation about recycling issues and MRF operation, followed by a tour from the safety of a raised viewing gallery, and an hour of hands-on curriculum linked activities. The centre can accommodate classes of up to 35 children per session.
Public Tour
We offer a free public tour on the first Wednesday of every month from 6pm - 7pm. Visitors view the facility from the safety of a raised gallery. We have a lift and all tours are accessible by people in wheelchairs. Please note this tour is suitable for adults and older children only.'
Our Tour
Having previously toured the Elstow Recycling Facility in Bedford we were looking forward to seeing how the bundles of waste leaving here were processed at this depot in Milton Keynes. This private company does the recycling not only for Milton Keynes Council but for many other areas across the country, including Bedford.
On arrival, car parking is available outside a building which appears similar to a large, modern, industrial, office unit. Your party is met by a member of staff who has been an employee for many years. He takes you on a tour of the whole facility answering all your questions and explaining the different procedures.
At first you see the arrival of the waste lorries which bring the recycling material to be unloaded into a large warehouse facility. They pass, as they come and go, over a weighbridge where their load is recorded and difference noted when they leave empty.
Once the lorries have discharged their loads the waste is moved by continuously moving mechanical shovels which place the material into a receptacle; this then transports the waste by conveyor belts through the processing stages.
The materials are split up into plastic, paper, metal, foil, tetra-pak and cardboard. The conveyors take the material through a hand-sorting area where it is segregated. There are about 30-40 operatives in this busy, non-stop section. When the different categories of waste are sorted they are then baled and placed into the yard at the rear of the facility by non-stop fork-life truck operators. After this the bales are taken away to manufacturers, some as far away as China. There are continuous quality checks carried out on the bales to ensure the materials meet their correct standards.
The whole facility is staffed by 95% East European labour because they have such a highly motivated and disciplined work ethic. All notices have to be displayed in Polish and English. There is also a team of engineers who work round the clock to attend to any faults or maintenance issues as and when required. This is all computerised giving a breakdown of the delays down to the final second.
The facility provides 24 hour coverage, Monday to Friday, with occasional Saturdays and maintenance days on Sundays. Many of the staff join the company with 'nil' experience and now hold important positions within the company. This is a successful business which makes a profit in a highly vital industry which is in much demand. Considering what happens here the state of tidiness and cleanliness is quite amazing.
Safety equipment is provided on your tour with the provision of hard hats, reflective waistcoats and ear plugs. The tour takes about 1.5 hours.
There is a small reception area where products manufactured from our recycled waste is shown. Various signs show the layout of the facility in the foyer. As this is a popular and important process for everyone in the world it was also good to see some of the childrens' projects on display which has resulted from tours around the facility.