Waste Recycling Group (WRG), owner and operator of the Brogborough landfill site, has taken delivery of two Tana G520 waste compactors. The new 50,000kg units replace WRG’s two smaller Tana machines and feature emissions-compliant Caterpillar diesel engines.

Covering 135 hectares of Bedfordshire countryside, Brogborough attracts a variety of domestic refuse, industrial waste and other non-hazardous materials at a daily rate of some 10,000 tonnes. The site receives almost 500 vehicles each day disposing of waste from various counties.

To facilitate vehicle movement in and out of the site, WRG operates two tipping faces – one is dedicated to receiving 40 tonne push-out refuse vehicles plus a range of other articulated trucks, while the other receives 40 tonne articulated tipper vehicles.

The push-out area is the busiest section of the site and one of the G520 units is employed here, working alongside a pair of Caterpillar D6 dozers. The second unit works the artic tipping face alongside a Caterpillar 330 hydraulic excavator and a Caterpillar D6 dozer. The 415kW Tana machine is responsible both for pushing the waste into 2.5m lifts with its 5m wide straight blade, and for the subsequent compaction.

Site manager Robin Tucker reports that WRG originally purchased Tana machines having experienced high levels of site damage with a competitive marque. Having experienced the 245kN of compaction force delivered by the full-width drum configuration of the Tana units, the company found them better suited to their input systems. “We handle a large amount of waste each day, so fast, effective compaction and the ability to provide a firm running service for the vehicles is our primary consideration,” Mr Tucker says.

“Our operators were never entirely happy with the controls on the previous Tana machines, but they’re delighted with the new G520 machines. The switch to environmentally friendly and reliable Caterpillar diesel engines was a major factor in our purchasing decision.”

Tana UK was acquired last year by Saville Tractors.

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