Mawsley Machinery aids clean up in Northamp

Northampton-based construction equipment dealer, Mawsley Machinery, has been chosen by the Northampton Borough Council in its pledge to get Northampton involved in a nationwide recycling scheme.


Last year saw the beginning of this improved recycling scheme, with the introduction of new wheeled bins. This led to a vast increase in the quantity of recyclables entering the borough council’s recycling centre. Phase two of the scheme, which has seen another 32,000 properties receiving wheeled bins, hit the streets this March and April, further increasing the quantity of plastic bottles, cans, paper, card and garden waste that the borough council has collected for recycling.

With all of this additional material needing to be sorted the council’s recycling centre required new handling equipment. A government grant last year was available and it was decided that a new telescopic handler was needed. Mawsley Machinery won the tender to find the right machine for the job – the new Manitou 845-120LSU Waste Handling machine coupled with the Strimech Top Grab Bucket. This machine allows recyclables to be moved around the depot with relative ease. It is a specialised machine used for piling up loose materials, stacking processed bales and loading lorries with the recyclables to be sent for processing.

The waste handler plays an important role in Northampton Borough Council’s recycling process – it is expected that the machine will move in the region of 20,000 tonnes of recyclable and compostable material a year. The driver of the machine, Andrew Richardson says, “One of the biggest benefits of this machine is the joystick control lever – reducing loading times and therefore increasing efficiency. As I spend most of my days in the machine the cab is always a concern to me; this machine is comfortable and has a good air conditioning system. Other reasons why this machine was chosen over any others was because the machine is so compact it allows me to work within more confined spaces, and it has a turbo powered engine giving increased power when driving into heaps”.

Northampton Borough Council saw the combination of the Manitou 845-120LSU and local company Mawsley Machinery as a good deal. Before purchasing, Northampton BC had the opportunity to see the Manitou 845-120LSU in a working environment when Mawsley Machinery’s Andrew Wiltshire took Jerry Gammon, the NBC’s purchaser and Andrew Richardson, the machine operator, to a site where one was working in a similar environment.

Paul Mocroft, Community Environment Development Officer of Northampton Borough Council, who works in the recycling centre, said: “We chose Manitou as we had used them in the past and found them to be perfect for the job. We are more than satisfied with the machine and service provided by Mawsley Machinery. This new vehicle means we can continue to keep working hard as the public increase their participation in our recycling scheme”.

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