REMEDIATION FOR A GREATER OUTCOME

The Caterpillar 336 and 320D have a focus on reducing running costs for operators.

WORKING CLOSELY WITH VICTORIA’S ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN RECYCLING CORPORATION (ARC) CONTINUES TO PROVIDE WASTE SOLUTIONS, WITH THE SUPPORT OF CATERPILLAR MACHINERY.

Remediating a major waste management site certainly comes with its challenges. Just ask Leo Radiotis, the Director of ARC.

Collaborating with Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority, ARC began the excavation and relocation of construction and demolition waste from a neglected waste site at Bulla, Victoria.

As Leo recalls, the site required major remediation works.

“When we entered the site, it was closed, as the previous owners’ avoidance of EPA restrictions had created a very big mess,” he says.

Mainly consisting of demolition waste, the stockpile required a thorough process of excavation and relocation to a temporary pit.

With its clean-up plan approved in August 2019, ARC faced material fires at the remediation site, requiring both the spreading and cooling of waste, before it could be relocated.

Using newly purchased Caterpillar® machines, including a 336 Excavator, 320D Excavator, 972M Loader and 740G Articulate Wheel Loader, ARC’s waste transfer process also separated clean materials from industrial waste.

Items such as soil, rock and clay were preserved for later re-use for civil works.

For Leo, the Caterpillar machines played an important part in this process.

“In terms of this waste, the machines have helped us to address hot spots and complete general duties such as loading the trucks,” Leo says.

“When we are dealing with bulk materials, the excavators work best. However, when removing the clean fill, trucks will come out to collect and the loaders are best for that application. Both machines can perform either task, so we have flexibility.”

With a focus on reducing running costs for operators, the 336 and 320D feature up to 15 per cent higher fuel efficiency than their 336F predecessor.

These models also contain a threemode toggle to go between power,

smart and eco, allowing the operator to adjust to the job at hand.

These modes allow for the hydraulic and engine power of the machine to adjust to digging conditions, increasing the power when required and increasing fuel efficiency for lower power requirements.

ARC relies on the 972M Medium Wheel Loader to provide clean fill waste for trucks moving on-site.

The 972M continues the trend of reducing operating costs with a ‘power dense’ engine which burns less fuel by providing power and torque when an application requires it.

Additionally, the 972M comes in a range of three speciality models, for industrial and waste, steel mill and corrosion resistance.

Leo says customisation has enabled the vehicles to be fit-for-purpose.

“To fit our needs, Caterpillar retrofitted the 320D for me with a magnet so that we could recover steel from the waste site,” Leo says.

Customisation means the Caterpillar machines can be fit-for-purpose.

Caterpillar’s after-sales support helped to reduce down-time for ARC’s remediation operation.

After being pleased with the performance of all three vehicles, Leo has continued to call on Cat’s services for ARC’s Bulla site, with a 740GC Articulated Dump Truck soon to arrive.

For an operation such as ARC’s, reducing downtime is a priority. Having owned Caterpillar machinery for just over a year, Leo says that new machinery can be the key to sustaining an operation.

“Essentially it saves us time, fuel efficiency and repair costs. Having mechanics out here every day is not my idea of running a site,” he says. “Continuing these works is critical to ensure that these sites are maintained.”

“For online monitoring systems, delivery services, maintenance schedules and machine feedback, Caterpillar has provided us a lot of after sales support.

“They are great machines, they are fit-for-purpose, and I am really happy with the service which we have received.”

For more information, visit: www.australia.cat.com