Dn. Smith et al., The use of can flatteners in MRFs for processing material including post consumer aerosols - a risk assessment, RESOUR CON, 31(2), 2001, pp. 115-135
Citations number
11
Categorie Soggetti
Environment/Ecology,"Environmental Engineering & Energy
The health and safety issues associated with the recovery of post consumer
aerosol cans through MRFs are generally the same as those associated with o
ther recyclables and as such are covered by normal MRF operating procedures
. The main hazards specific to the recycling of post-consumer aerosol cans
are the generation of flammable atmospheres during can compaction and sort
operator exposure to contents of aerosol cans. Previous risk assessments ha
ve tended to concentrate on the processing of recovered material using bali
ng presses for compaction. References to the use of can flatteners and shre
dders provide insufficient data for assessment of risks. This report descri
bes a series of MRF based tests in which can flatteners were used to compac
t recovered steel and aluminium cans, with known proportions of post consum
er aerosol cans present. The trials were carried out under conditions repre
sentative of those encountered in normal MRF operation. The experience gain
ed and data collected was used as the basis of a risk assessment. Data was
generated through eight can flattening tests with a metal handling rate of
250 kg/h and up to 7.5% aerosol cans by weight. Over a tonne of metal cans
and nearly 340 post consumer aerosol cans were processed without any proble
ms being observed. The risk associated with processing material including p
ost consumer aerosol cans by can flattener may be reduced by promoting the
recovery of only empty post consumer aerosols and following good operationa
l practices and the recommendations made in this risk assessment. (C) 2001
Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.