MTS Environmental has been working with local Bristol-based company ETM Recycling Ltd for a number of years as their Environmental Consultants. We have a well-established relationship with the company to help them solve industry wide issues and develop business processes and site procedures to ensure compliance. This has allowed ETM Recycling to enhance services to benefit commercially and work more sustainably by recycling more material within Bristol.

MTS manage the grading and testing of products coming out of ETMs sites, this includes Type 1, 6F5, 0-20mm pipe bedding, 0-10mm dust, Class 6C and 1A fill material to enhance quality and facilitate compliance with their Duty of Care and WRAP Quality Protocol. This allows ETM to improve the products they are producing by achieving the correct grading, thus selling a better-quality product to clients or to re-use on their own schemes.

One of the main problems which MTS have been vital in solving for ETM has been allowing their trommel fines to be accepted by landfills. MTS approached the landfill with a solution after ETM were stopped from tipping due to high levels of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) found in their trommel fines material. A partnership between the landfill and MTS was established where MTS conducted TPH testing of the material using our spectroscopy hydrocarbon analyser. This gives accurate results compared with the gas chromatography approach used by standard laboratories which gives elevated TPH levels due to background organics. (If you want to know more about this then read our Viridor Project – it won’t disappoint we promise!) These results confirmed actual low levels of TPH, proving the fines were not hazardous, which allowed ETM to start tipping again.

ETM Recycling are a successful and growing business, thus they are currently applying for a new bespoke environmental permit for an existing site in order to increase the variety of services they offer and materials they can recycle. MTS have managed this permit application and aided the planning application alongside this. The new facility is to be a metal recycling and WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recovery site. This has been a very involved process from designing a suitable Sustainable Drainage System (SUDs) and developing a Fire Prevention Plan for the site. MTS have collaborated with ETM to plan their proposed waste operations on site in compliance with WEEE Regulations and within permit limits. MTS will continue to work with ETM on this project from its beginning proposal through to the operation of the site.