At municipal recycling and waste disposal centres, what happens in and around the buildings determines how efficient the site is.
Public recycling and waste disposal centres need access for refuse lorries and local resident’s cars bringing in waste, and for larger articulated vehicles removing sorted and recycled materials and waste for landfill. As a result, waste and recycling sites need to be planned carefully to keep traffic moving.
Temporary industrial buildings and canopies can be erected on a wide range of surfaces in multiple different configurations. This makes them ideal where buildings need to be erected in locations that are not ideal for traditional buildings but are required for optimal traffic flow.
What Makes Temporary Buildings Ideal for Recycling and Waste Processing?
When recyclers and waste processors need additional capacity quickly, a traditional structure that takes 12 to18 months to build is not the ideal solution.
However, temporary buildings built around aluminium frames with steel walls and industrial PVC roofs can be erected in just a few days on a range of surfaces on site. These strong and durable structures can be extended, taken down, moved, erected somewhere else or dismantled and sold. They are the ideal solution for customising and developing waste handling site layouts.
Thanks to their design flexibility, layout and ease of installation, temporary buildings for materials processing can be designed as part of the site operations rather than just a covered area for recycling.
However, temporary industrial buildings are ideal for recycling operations because they quickly create additional space for temporary storage, sorting, bale storage, etc. They also protect operations and workers from the weather.
What Types of Temporary Buildings are Used for Recycling?
Typical temporary building solutions in recycling operations include:
- Covered sorting areas provide a large, open space that has a roof to keep contents out of the rain. With open walls for unfettered access for loaders and forklifts, they are usually well lit but can provide shelter from wind where walls are included.
- Bale and recyclable material storage for paper, plastic and foils in dry buildings and enough space for first-in, first-out (FIFO) storage so that goods don’t stay on site for too long.
- Interim storage for weather-sensitive processing protects stored materials from moisture penetration and ensures that processes can continue in rain, snow and wind. This helps reduce the need for temporary, emergency solutions such as tarpaulins and restacking.
What Mistakes do Temporary Building Suppliers Make on Recycling Plants?
Planning a new temporary building simply where there’s space on site can cause the most problems for recycling plants.
Failing to understand that space at recycling centres is always part of traffic movement and materials processing systems can result in a badly sited temporary recycling building that causes chaos.
Waste collection centres also lose time when vehicles have to wait to load or unload. The issue can be solved by designing manoeuvring areas and waiting zones into the site layout.
To avoid unnecessary waiting for vehicles and drivers, we work with recycling and local waste centres to plan flow around a building by using the following techniques:
- Provide a truck parking area so operations aren’t blocked
- Create buffer areas for peak times
- Clearly mark turning areas
- Design one-way traffic flow through the site.
Our Key Principles for Working with Recycling Centres
The three principles for siting a new temporary building on a recycling or waste processing site are:
1) A good layout separates:
- Heavy goods lorries from other traffic
- Other vehicles such as loaders and forklifts, that travel short distances between sorting and storage areas
- Pedestrian routes from areas specified for the vehicle traffic listed above
2) Plan material flows as a U or throughflow
- U principle
- The entrance and exit are close together, which helps if the property only has one access road. However, it’s important that there’s sufficient space to prevent congestion on site.
- Throughflow principle
- Enter the site at one end for waste delivery before sorting and transferring in the middle, and then moving to the other end for removal and leaving the site. This has advantages, including few intersections and good scalability but it requires two access points to the site.
3) Separate materials so that there are clear zones including storage bays, processing areas, buffer zones and traffic routes.
Why Temporary Industrial Buildings are Ideal for Recycling and Waste Processing Operations
Temporary industrial buildings make a huge difference for recycling centres and waste disposal companies when they support clearly separate traffic routes, logically guided material flows and clearly zoned materials storage.
These strong and durable structures can be erected in just a few days on a range of surfaces, can be extended, taken down, erected somewhere else or dismantled and sold. They provide weather protection for workers and materials storage and processing, and can be erected in locations where a traditionally-built structure would need foundations.
To find out more about temporary industrial buildings for recycling, waste handling and materials processing call 01332 949 800, email sales-uk@hr-structures.com or fill in our contact form.