High-speed shredder boosts composting capacity

As part of its strategy to be a leader in this highly competitive marketplace, the Bristol-based company is enabling customers to try out the latest recycling vehicles before committing to them financially.

The company's rapid fleet acquisition allows MHS to lay claim to operating one of the most comprehensive recycling hire fleets in the UK, totaling over 50 vehicles within its 350-strong refuse fleet.

The MHS strategy also combines offering new technologies and developments first, whilst also recruiting the most experienced personnel to provide customers with expert advice and service back up.

Recycling sector
MHS Managing Director, Ian Handley, believes that the recycling market will become a "self-standing, high-growth sector over the next 24 months."

Elaborating on his view of the potential of the recycling sector, Ina Hindley said: "Stringent new Government targets represent a stiff challenge for every local authority, so the addition of specialist recycling vehicles to the MHS refuse fleet was a natural progression for us, driven by customer demand."

MHS says that local authority funding has made it difficult for councils to invest in the recycling industry's cutting edge technology, potentially putting the UK years behind other nations' recycling programmes, despite the new Government targets.

By making the UK's biggest investment in new generation recycling vehicles, MHS sees its role as carrying the initial financial burden for its municipal clients, and by operating a flexible hire service the company is enabling them to take those first decisive steps towards meeting recycling targets.

"Clients can hire a variety of the latest recycling vehicles alongside their traditional refuse collection vehicles and conduct their own trials before finalising their recycling plans," the MHS md said. "We are trying to speed up the recycling programme by helping local authorities past the starting post, months or even years before they would otherwise be able to do so," he added.

Matt Buckley, recently appointed Refuse Division Manager at MHS, said: "Refuse Collection Vehicles represent a substantial proportion of our new business."

He commented: "The formation of the specialist division was essential to ensure that our clients' needs could be met to the highest possible standard and we could continue to offer best value solutions in a highly competitive marketplace. Our recycling initiative is the perfect example of this."

Since the launch of the new refuse division, MHS has won major refuse contracts across the UK with local authorities at Northampton, Southwark, Poole, Bournemouth, Pendle and Epsom and Ewell.

The MHS RCV fleet offers vehicles across the range, from 3.5 ton lightweight units to 32 ton, in every possible payload and weight configuration.

New technologies available from MHS include on board weighing equipment, hydraulic filtration systems, CRT exhausts and auto lubrication systems for RCVs.

MHS lists its preferred suppliers as Seddon, PDE, Terberg and Faun.

The company also operates a full fleet of other municipal specialist vehicles, including sweepers, gully emptiers, vacuum tankers, jetting units, hotwash units, tippers, pick-ups, access platforms, winter maintenance vehicles, welfare buses and ground maintenance equipment.