The company’s new specially modified Cat articulated haulers, bought in line with a four-year plant replacement cycle and as part of a national agreement with Caterpillar dealer Finning, will haul waste from the site’s own railway station and deposit the material directly to where it is wanted on the landfill, for final compaction and then cover.
Owing to the nature of the landfill there are no roads on the site, so trucks have to navigate gradients, negotiate soft ground over uncompacted areas of waste and deposit the container loads directly on the landfill area – which in itself presents manoeuvring difficulties.
Site Manager Paul Gough said: “The Cat 725s have wider than standard axles and wheel-track, and they’re fitted with Michelin wide-base tyres. These improve traction and add greater stability, particularly on any pockets of softer, uncompacted waste material.
“We know from experience that the wide-base, low-pressure Michelin tyres perform well,” he added. “They penetrate less in the soft material, so they have better traction and don’t get stuck. They also provide a more stable base when the truck is at the critical tipping stage, with all the weight of the container ‘in the air’, over the rear axles.”
The Roxby site occupies a former ironstone quarry, which provided raw materials for Scunthorpe’s steel industry. Once filled, the site will be restored to provide public amenity space including the creation of woodland and wetland habitats.