The handling of mixed materials in the recycling process is recognised as one of the biggest complications, as miscellaneous products are difficult to separate – which is integral to effective processing and recycling.

Waste screening is essential in the recycling of construction and demolition debris. This procedure consists of separating waste material into multiple grades or separating mixed materials by type. The sorting can be done manually, which is a very laborious and lengthy process. Alternatively, materials can be hauled to processing centres, which is logistically challenging, costly and has health and safety implications for site contractors and the general public, as a result of the movement of large vehicles in and out of a site. 

MB Crusher offers a solution to this problem, namely processing the mixed material where it is, using available heavy equipment fitted with a MB Crusher screening bucket.

The attachments are boom extensions that can be used with any brand of carrier and help heavy machinery operators to carry out a number of tasks, beyond just excavating.

MB's screening buckets have been used for a range of applications, such as:

• Contained environment and compact recycling centre: J& L Equipos in Colombia uses excavator attachments for recycling in a small city area. Cleaning the demolition debris enables repurposing of the soil and enhances the size reduction of parts inside the rotating screener. An MB jaw crusher bucket is used for further reduction, allowing all cleared-out material to be reused.
• Island contractor site: Norvàn General Contractor in Puerto Rico uses a screening bucket to speed up operations and maximise the usage of all materials – especially important on an island where procurement can be difficult. A single operator and machine is used to separate and clean mixed materials, ready to be used or reduced by a jaw crusher.
• MB Crusher’s MB-S18 has been mounted on a Hitachi 250 LC 25-t machine and the MB-S10 mounted on a Caterpillar 307E 8-t vehicle. Trans Pep Soler, based in Mallorca, mounted an MB-LS170 onto an 8-t Komatsu WB 97 S5 backhoe loader. Before installing the screening bucket, the company had to transport mixed material to a recycling plant because sandstones were mixed with cement and demolition debris, making it unusable.  With the use of the MB-LS170, the company was able to clean the material by itself,  helping to reduce costs and allowing it to use the recovered sandstone for a variety of applications.

MB emphasises that its screening buckets facilitate and speed-up separation of mixed materials, helping to reduce landfill waste, while also saving time, labour and money.