Mid UK Recycling Ltd
whose Head Office at Caythorpe in Lincolnshire is a large privately owned waste contractor, recycling mixed recyclables, glass, agricultural wastes, metals, C& D waste, woodwaste and greenwaste. The composting operation at the Caythorpe site handles around 15000 tonnes per annum of civic amenity garden waste and kerbside garden waste from Lincolnshire County Council.

The increase in demand for Mid UK’s facility at Caythorpe has created operational problems, which in turn have, led to odour problems at the composting site. After discussions with John Jardine, Managing Director of Covered Systems Ltd, the Suffolk based In- Vessel Composting Company, Mid UK Managing Director Chris Mountain, ordered a trial of Covered Systems new Mistral Aeration system to try and solve the problem.

The Mistral Aeration system is a unique method of forcing air through the maturing windrows using a reverse aeration technique used at Covered Systems Lackford in- vessel installation and composting company County Mulch Ltd’s, Creeting composting site. The air pipes used with the Mistral system are installed mechanically, into the compost vessels or windrows once formed.

The reverse aeration technique then enhances the natural phenomena in the compost leading to faster degradation and the control of odour.

The retention of moisture in the compost which is part of the reason degradation is enhanced, means that turning of windrows is not necessary, meaning a significant saving in operational costs.

The trial at Mid UK has been so successful that Chris Mountain has ordered further components from Covered Systems to be able to operate the whole composting site using the Mistral system. ‘We are delighted with the simplicity of the system and results of the aeration trials we have done. The installation will not only save us time and money but it will allow us to satisfy our customers demands without the risks of odours from our operation, causing us the problems we have had before’ commented Chris.

The Mistral Aeration System is also now being installed at another windrow site at Haynes near Bedford for composting company Materials Change Ltd who last year experienced the same problems as Mid UK. This site handles around 10000 tonnes per annum of green garden waste from the surrounding area.