A LUBO USA SORTING SYSTEM BRINGS

Perfect Fit
A Lubo USA sorting system brings flexible, cost-efficient recovery and
processing of mixed C&D debris to Willimantic Waste Paper co. inc.
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Lubo USA provides a turnkey sorting solution
for Willimantic Waste.
A Chance to Grow
Willimantic Waste has always been ready to
tackle the next challenge in recycling. Patrick
DeVivo started the company more than 60
years ago as a rag and paper dealer in the aftermath of World War II. His son James purchased
the company in 1970, and today the third generation of DeVivos—brothers Tim and Tom—
are responsible for its operation.
Tim describes his father as a “recycling pioneer,” who was always on the lookout for new
materials and markets. His attitude was, “If it
Lubo
Custom Made
Lubo USA designs a sorting system that meets the unique needs of
Connecticut-based Willimantic Waste.
I
n life, one size rarely fits all. The same
can be said for C&D recycling—the varied composition of the construction and
demolition material stream means that
for a system to work most effectively, it
must be tailored to meet the unique needs
of each individual operation.
When brothers Tim and Tom DeVivo—co-owners of Willimantic Waste in
Willimantic, Conn.—saw an opportunity
to grow their business through recycling
C&D debris, they needed an equipment
provider that would evaluate their specific
needs and design a turnkey system to
address them in the most efficient, costeffective way possible.
“We’re in rural Connecticut, and
there’s not a lot of construction, so our
mix is a little different,” Tim DeVivo
says. “It’s a different composition than
what would come from New York or L.A.,
where there’s just tons of construction and
demolition.”
The DeVivos had already established
a relationship with system provider Lubo
USA of Stamford, Conn. Lubo provided
Willimantic’s OCC screen used in its paper
recycling operation, so it was a natural
choice when the DeVivos were developing
their C&D operation. “We had great success with them on our OCC screen—that
was wonderful,” DeVivo recalls.
can be recycled, let’s do it,” DeVivo says. “He
was creative—he could always find markets
for something.”
The DeVivo brothers saw a chance to expand their business in the early part of this decade by recycling construction and demolition
debris—material they had already been hauling to local landfills as part of their business.
“We saw the composition of the material and
thought, ‘Why are we landfilling this material
when we can recycle it?’” DeVivo recalls.
The company purchased the old steel factory that would become its transfer station in
2000 and installed the Lubo sorting system in
2006. “It’s an investment that will pay off for
generations,” DeVivo says.
Lubo USA is the exclusive U.S. and Canadian
distributor of Lubo Recycling Equipment based
out of the Netherlands. Specializing in turnkey
systems, Lubo USA offers a full C&D product
line including, but not limited to, screens, conveyors, air separation techniques, water bath
“The Lubo system had some nice features we were really excited
about. At 400 feet long, it gives us a huge opportunity to capture
as much as possible. Of everything that’s recyclable, we’re probably recovering about 90 percent.” — Tim DeVivo
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separators, mobile compost screening units
and semi-mobile sorting machines. Lubo USA
also distributes TiTech Optical Sorters and is
the sister company to Van Dyk Baler Corp.
With that foundation established, the
DeVivos turned to Lubo USA again, and
with the help of Lubo Representative Peter
Bond, designed the system that would
tackle Willimantic’s unique C&D debris.
The composition of the material coming through Willimantic’s facility was a major consideration in system design, Bond
says. “About 40 percent of the volume was
wood,” he says. “That’s a big deal.”
Willimantic’s rural location means the
company sees more wood, plastic and
other mixed C&D odds and ends than
companies in more urban settings, which
tend to get more of the traditional C&D
materials—concrete, asphalt and metal.
“We take each project individually,”
says Bond, noting that Willimantic’s rural
setting adds complications. “You’ve got
more wood, plastic and odd items. We
needed to make the system more flexible
to process the odd items.”
A key element for Willimantic’s sorting
system is the water bath separator—an
ideal fit for this particular system because
of the high volume of wood in the infeed
material.
Willimantic’s system gives it the flexibility to
recover and process a variety of C&D debris.
Going with the Flow
The Lubo USA sorting system in place at Willimantic Waste, Willimantic, Conn., measures
400 feet in length.
Material travels over a variety of conveyors, screens and other sorting equipment to
create a number of marketable end products from mixed C&D debris, according to Willimantic’s co-owner Tim DeVivo.
The process starts on the tipping floor where an excavator fitted with a grapple feeds
mixed C&D onto a vibrating table, which feeds a conveyor that takes the material to the
first sorting station.
There, sorters pick out stringy material and large metal. Material then goes through a
starscreen. Material that measures more than 18 inches goes through a sorting conveyor
with bins beneath it. Workers stationed at each bin pick out different materials—rigid plastic, OCC, aggregate, wood, ferrous and nonferrous metal.
Material smaller than 18 inches falls through a primary starscreen. This material is processed over a second starscreen, DeVivo describes. This separates out the fines and then
proceeds to a vacuum system that pulls light fractions from the mix. Material then passes
under an overhead magnet, which pulls metal out.
“After it goes through the vacuum and magnet, what’s left is shingles, concrete and
wood,” DeVivo says. Material goes on to the water bath separator where light material like
wood floats onto another screen, while heavies, such as the concrete and shingles, sink.
By incorporating a flexible design with elements specifically chosen to address Willimantic’s unique material mix, the Lubo system has helped the DeVivos get the material they
want in a cost-effective way. “There isn’t just one feature that stands out—the system itself
stands out,” DeVivo says.
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Willimantic’s material stream has a higher volume of plastic because of its rural location.
Willimantic grinds its wood for boiler
fuel, an end market recyclers in New
England have fought hard to preserve. In
recent years, some states have looked unfavorably on burning C&D wood for fuel.
The system has been up and running
for almost two years, and DeVivo says he
and his brother have been pleased with the
recovery rate the system achieves. “The
Lubo system had some nice features we
were really excited about. At 400 feet long,
it gives us a huge opportunity to capture as
much as possible. Of everything that’s recyclable, we’re probably recovering about 90
percent,” Tim DeVivo says. “We capture 90
to 95 percent of all the wood and metal.”
Recycling C&D has its challenges, but
the Lubo system in place has given the
DeVivo brothers the flexibility and recovery
rates they need to make their operation a
success. “You’re not going to recycle everything,” DeVivo says. “But you’d better make
sure you can get everything you want and
process it in the most cost-effective way.”
A sister company of Van Dyk Baler Corp.
Bollegraaf Systems n Lubo Screens n TiTech Optical Sorting
Lubo USA is the Exclusive North American Distributor of Lubo & TiTech Equipment
78 Halloween Blvd., Stamford, CT 06902
n Corporate/East: (203) 967 1140
n South-West: (281) 489 3700
n West: (310) 378 5433
n Canada: (519) 940 4601
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n E-mail: [email protected]
www.lubousa.com
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