MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
Organic waste and composting specialist Keenan Recycling is enjoying strong growth, despite the difficult economic climate – and now, with the arrival of its first Mercedes-Benz tractor unit, the Aberdeenshire firm is branching out into running its own transport.
The new truck pulls a walking-floor trailer and is used to collect garden and food waste from local authorities and private business across the North-East of Scotland.
Supplied by Aberdeen dealer John R. Weir Truck & Van, the 6×4 Actros 2648 has a 480hp V6 engine which is renowned for its low diesel consumption – an Actros with a slightly less powerful version of the same engine holds the Guinness World Records™ title of the world’s most fuel-efficient truck.
The organic material collected by the Actros is taken to the company’s site in New Deer, Aberdeenshire, where it is processed in Europe’s largest vertical composting unit facility. The finished product is then supplied, mainly to Aberdeenshire’s farming sector, as a top-quality soil conditioner.
Managing Director Grant Keenan explained: "We relied previously on third-party hauliers to provide our delivery service, but as the business has grown decided it was time to invest in our own vehicle."
He continued: "Our business is all about reducing waste and helping provide ‘green’ solutions to our customers – so we’re very aware of the need to minimise the impact of our own operations on the environment too.
"The Mercedes-Benz Actros has an excellent reputation for reliability as well as strong environmental credentials, and the early signs are certainly promising: the truck is clearly built to an extremely high standard.
"Reliable back-up was also a key factor in our purchasing decision and we’re satisfied that John R. Weir’s service department team will provide a safety net should we ever need it."
Indeed, so impressed is Keenan Recycling with its Actros, and with the dealer’s professionalism, that it has now ordered a second vehicle, an 18-tonne Mercedes-Benz Axor 1824 with Terberg refuse compactor body, which will be used to collect wheeled bins from local business premises as part of its commercial waste service.
The huge new vertical composting unit was opened last year, as the focal point of a £1.3million expansion programme at Keenan Recycling’s New Deer premises. Established in 2001, the company is now one of Scotland’s leading organics recycling specialist and processes more than 70,000 tonnes of organic waste each year.
