As Australia moves towards a circular economy, there’s a growing need to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. This shift is driving demand for recycled products across various industries.
Innovative recyclers are finding new ways to recover value from what was once considered ‘unrecyclable’. From hard and soft plastics to clean timbers, plasterboard, pre-shredded rubber, and green waste, nearly all materials can now be recycled – if they’re processed correctly. The biggest challenge has been reducing them to a manageable size for transport or further processing.
This is where Finlay Waste & Recycling comes in. A specialist provider of crushing, screening, and processing equipment for waste recycling, mining, and quarrying, Finlay offers a range of tailored solutions designed to maximise efficiency and material recovery.
Central to this is the Terex Ecotec TDSV20 mid-speed shredder.
“It’s a tertiary shredder, unlike traditional slow-speed shredders,” said Brad Scott, Finlay Waste and Recycling’s sales manager. “The V20 actually makes a product.”
Capable of achieving uniform particle sizes of around 50 millimetres in a single pass, it offers a high level of control that delivers time and fuel savings to operators.
The TDSV20’s versatility allows it to function as either a primary or secondary shredder. Two shafts, rotating at 160rpm, draw material into a Vecoplan shredding chamber and over a cutting knife.
“These Vecoplan chambers are used globally in fixed plants and are renowned for their durability and performance,” said Scott.
The material is cut and passed through screens located beneath the shafts and side doors, ensuring consistency in output size.
Material that doesn’t pass through is reprocessed within the chamber until it meets the required dimensions. If unsuitable feedstock enters the system, the built-in tramp relief system immediately drops the counter knife and halts the shafts, protecting the machine from damage. The cutting counter knife sits on an airbag system that drops under unexpected pressure due to tramp material, saving costly repair bills. If a cutting tooth is damaged, it can be quickly rotated with a single bolt – an operator-friendly feature that prevents prolonged downtime.
Accessing the shredding chamber is both easy and safe, with side doors that lock out during operation. Shaft rotation is inward by default but can reverse automatically to handle high-load situations. Operators can adjust settings to match the density and characteristics of their materials.
The TDSV20 processes large volumes of soft and hard plastics, timber, pallets, green waste, and compost oversize with ease.
“It’s great for recycling recyclables,” said Scott. “All the metals have been taken out or recovered.”
In field studies and from customer feedback, the TDSV20 is recognised for best-in-class ferrous recovery when shredding timber-based materials. Nails, screws, and joint plates are effectively separated for recovery. For those composting and handling large amounts of oversize, it is now not an issue, according to Scott.
The machine’s feed rate can also be adjusted to suit various materials. Reducing the feed volume allows the TDSV20 to act as a primary shredder, while still producing the same uniform output.
Available in both diesel hydraulic and electric versions, the Ecotec TDSV20 offers flexibility in installation and energy use.
Scott also highlights another key differentiator – support.
“We have industry-leading backup and support throughout the East Coast of Australia, Tasmania and South Australia,” he said. “We have branches – not just holding yards – and a large service fleet that can meet the needs of industry.”