The system has been fitted to 17 refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) manufactured by NTM. They are based in Biffa depots across the UK to provide important and useful data while maintaining maximum efficiency and safety of the operation.
The 26-tonne trucks have a 15m3 MAS body that is specifically designed for waste with a high liquid content. It is sealed to avoid leaks and can carry up to 11,000kg of waste.
Bodies are mounted on Volvo chassis but the vehicles are significantly different from conventional RCVs because of a high-fulcrum tipping point which helps discharge these materials. Nevertheless, the c-trace dynamic weighing system accurately weighs two 240 litre bins simultaneously on a rear-lifter, providing net weights in just 1kg increments.
The accuracy of the system comes from each bin being weighed 30 times as it is lifted to find the gross weight and 30 times more as it is lowered for the tare weight to produce the weight of materials collected.
The waste is always collected in two-wheeled containers because they are safer than four-wheeled bins when collecting potentially very heavy waste streams.
The bins are registered at an address and the individual net weight of each bin is captured by the system, along with the time and date of the collection and then transferred to Biffa’s in-cab customer management device by a serial interface connection.
This enables Biffa to provide its customers not only with itemised bills but also with the wastage statistics they need for their own reporting procedures.
Biffa’s Jon Frere, depot manager, said: “Dedicated food and glass collections are the responsible way of collecting these materials from environmental and sustainability perspectives and it also it keeps residual waste costs down for the producer by diverting these materials to appropriate recycling streams.
“The c-trace weighing system not only enables us to monitor what we are collecting but helps us provide accurate weights to our customers who have important KPIs to meet as they continuously seek to maximise efficiency and minimise waste in their operations.”
c-trace’s UK sales director Ian Martin said: “Its uses go way beyond glass and food waste – we are also providing fully certified systems for pay-by-weight collections on other applications across the Biffa industrial and commercial network.”