Spanning more than 1000 acres with an intake greater than 1000 tons of garbage per day, the City of Albany Landfill is in every way a very large operation. And like many landfills, they are faced with the challenge of near capacity volume. But solid waste manager Joe Giebelhaus explored his options. “We’re a very progressive operation with regard to advanced waste management development and implementation.”
So in early 2003, integrated waste management engineering services firm Clough, Harbour and Associates was hired to perform a life expectancy study. The conclusions showed that to handle future disposal requirements, additional cells would have to be built. The present capacity and intake momentum would only allow 4 1/2 years of remaining life under current practices. Joe realized the performance of their CAT compactor on its own did not maximize the full potential of the landfill; a primary volume reduction solution was necessary.
“I began looking for a slow-speed shredder that could perform under the conditions we demand. We reviewed a number of options and attended several demonstrations, but we weren’t very impressed.” Joe was then contacted by Steve Fuller, area representative for Emerald Screening and Crushing. Emerald is a full-service equipment dealer, recently signed as the exclusive DoppstadtUS representative for New York and New Jersey.
Their team of several dozen sales, service and support personnel is well-positioned to handle all aspects of equipment asset management, from sales and demonstrations to maintenance and service. Emerald is well respected in the aggregate and recycling industries for their dedication to customer support, and Joe looked for their advice for input on his needs. Steve knew the Doppstadt products were a perfect match for the needs at the City of Albany Landfill. Hugh Fagan, sales manager for DoppstadtUS, together with Steve and other technical support personnel from DoppstadtUS, met with Joe to explain the advantages and benefits of the DW 3080 Mammoth shredder.
Joe was impressed and requested a demonstration. The Mammoth is a low-speed, high-torque shredder capable of processing over 100 tons per hour of the toughest waste. The 610hp Daimler-Chrysler engine reduces material to a 6” product with minimal wear, due to its hydraulically-actuated breakaway comb, fluid-coupling power transfer, and application-specific bolt-on teeth. These features make the Mammoth ideal for even the most challenging applications, such as railroad tie processing and demolition waste reduction.
For the City of Albany, the mixed MSW waste was their challenge. The 47-ton Mammoth was brought on-site for an extensive 3-hour demonstration that thoroughly tested the capability of the machine. Numerous feed materials were run through the shredder, to convince Joe the performance of the Doppstadt would meet his standards. In fact, it exceeded them greatly. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Joe said, rather surprised. “This unit easily did a 3 to 1 reduction. We could get 30 yards of curb-side waste into a 10-yard space for sure.”
“The consistency and uniformity of the finished product were unmatched. In the competitive demonstrations, other shredders produced a material that I would have had to run over two or three times with the dozer to make it uniform. But the Mammoth’s product spread like an aggregate.” Joe found it difficult to restrain his enthusiasm. “Also, one of our bigger challenges is mattresses. The competing shredders took a whole mattress and kicked out two halves of a mattress. But with the Doppstadt, a whole mattress went in and uniform shredded waste came out. It even handled several at a time. This thing EATS mattresses!”
At the conclusion of the demonstration, Joe figured the shredder will increase the life of the landfill by at least seven months. With a monthly revenue of $1,000,000, the Mammoth has the ability to increase their potential revenue by at least $7,000,000. The Mammoth has performed comparably on many demonstrations. But Hugh Fagan was still quite pleased. “We’re always pleased to show Doppstadt products. Their performance and quality really speak for themselves. On paper, the data and numbers look great. But when customers stand in front of the machine and see for themselves what it can do, they’re always impressed.” Joe Giebelhaus was no exception. “Where’s the contract? The City of Albany and I are ready to sign!”