Metals Recycling Facility (MRF)

The Studsvik Metal Recycling Facility

In-page navigation
The Metals Recycling Process
Working in the local community
Latest Update
Contacts

Studsvik UK Limited has constructed a newly developed Metals Recycling Facility (MRF) in West Cumbria. This is the first new nuclear licensed site to be brought into operation in the UK in over 20 years. Our facility will serve the UK's nuclear industry whose sites are now being decommissioned under the control of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

The Studsvik MRF was built to help meet the Government's decommissioning targets, as new facilities need to be constructed to provide alternative methods for cleaning active materials.

Our metals recycling facility helps to ensure that the amount of Low Level Waste (LLW) that is sent for disposal is kept to a minimum, whilst at the same time recovers valuable metal for recycling. The Studsvik MRF was built in line with UK low level waste policy and waste hierarchy for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste.

The Metals Recycling Process

The Metals Recycling Facility processes materials and waste contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, which are brought to the site in specially designed transport containers.

A range of industrial cutting and cleaning techniques are used to process the scrap metal inside the plant. The materials are then cleaned using methods such as dry grit blasting in automated blasting chambers and automated compaction. Furthermore, the resulting materials will be cleaned metal which will either be recycled in the UK, or potentially sent to our facility in Sweden for further cleaning by melting. All radioactive residues from cutting and cleaning will be collected and packaged into drums and containers for safe disposal at the National Low Level Waste Repository near Drigg. No radioactive materials will be disposed of at our MRF.

It is expected that the process will reduce the volume of incoming waste needing to be sent for disposal by 95%.

Working in the local community

Studsvik UK is committed to an open and transparent approach in all its activities in the area. As a local employer we value the support of the local community and wish to assist projects that enhance the sporting, cultural, educational and environmental quality of life in Allerdale and West Cumbria. Studsvik has already been involved in several charitable and community projects and plans to support several new ventures over the coming year (see our 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report in the Publications page for more information). Studsvik is also a member of the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group (WCSSG).

Latest Update

July 2010

Pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in Workington visited the Studsvik metal recycling facility to start planting out their winning butterfly garden. Twenty-four pupils from class four entered an ‘inspired design’ after the Lillyhall company launched a competition amongst local schools to landscape a patch of land at their Joseph Noble Road site. Teacher Nadia Taylor said: “The children were so excited to win and be the first children to visit the site.”

As well as planting special butterfly-friendly flowers and plants near the entrance, the children visited the company’s educational viewing gallery to learn about metal recycling. Pupil David Curran, 10, said: “It was really interested watching everything from the room. We learned in a video how they clean metal and you can make coke cans from it.”

Amanda Astrop, marketing officer for Studsvik, added: “The school’s entry was really fantastic. The children had used the internet to research which flowers attract butterflies and other insects. “They also created a massive picture of how the site could look which we have now hung in our entrance.

“A selection of the children’s pictures are also hanging in the viewing gallery. We hope that many more schools will want to come to the butterfly garden and educational centre - which we are still developing - to learn about metal recycling in the nuclear industry.”

April 2010

The Studsvik Butterfly Garden Challenge!

Primary school children in Allerdale and Copeland are being challenged to design and help build a wild butterfly garden – and win hundreds of pounds worth of book vouchers for their schools.

Challenge: To transform an 18 by 6 metre plot of land next to the entrance of our Lillyhall Metals Recycling Facility.

We are looking for colourful plans, models or drawings of the finished garden with lists of the plants and flowers that would make it butterfly friendly. The more details and research of the types of butterflies and bugs likely to be seen in this part of the world, the better. We want to see as many details as possible including the colour of the plants, the shapes, the feel and if you are really keen, even the smell!

Entry Details: Competition entries can be sent in by post to:

Studsvik Garden Butterfly Challenge, 1 Joseph Noble Road, Lillyhall Industrial Estate, Lillyhall, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 4JX

Or by email to: creatures@studsvik.co.uk

Closing Date: Friday 28th May 2010

Current Landscape: The landscape already contains a mixture of planted wild flowers including oxeye daisy,meadow buttercup, wild reed clover, cowslip, yellow rattle and knapweed. The plants should be suitable for clay soils and attract butterflies and bugs. The landscape is 18 metres long by 6 metres wide, with a nearby path, road and a fence around the perimeter of the site. Please contact Amanda Astrop on 0191 4821744 for a template.

Prizes: All competition entries will be judged by a panel of Cumbrian judges and prizes will go to the top three designs.

1st - £300 (education vouchers)

2nd - £100 (education vouchers)

3rd - £50 (education vouchers)

The winning class will be invited to come along and help plant their winning design on site. Good Luck!

November 2009

SENIOR figures from the world of higher education in Cumbria toured Studsvik UK’s newly-opened metal recycling facility at Lillyhall near Workington in November.

Sam Usher, President of Studsvik UK, met:

Professor Peter McCaffery, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cumbria;
Dr Sarah Green, Principal Lecturer in Sustainable Engineering at the university’s Learning Gateway (West) at Energus;
Helen Gudgeon, Progression and Curriculum Manager for Cumbria Higher Learning.

“I was delighted to welcome our guests and explain how the recycling process actually works,” said Sam. "Working with local schools, colleges and the University of Cumbria is one of our objectives over the next year. We deliberately incorporated an internal viewing gallery into the MRF to enable visitors - particularly schoolchildren - to see for themselves the decontamination and recycling operations."

“How we translate that activity into appropriate educational material is our next challenge so we welcome any advice and guidance that the University of Cumbria and Cumbria Higher Learning feel able to offer us.”

The multi million pound MRF on Joseph Noble Road was officially opened earlier this year and received its first shipment of scrap metal from the UK nuclear industry in September. The metal (which would otherwise have been destined for the Low Level Waste Repository near Drigg) was successfully treated with 98 per cent recovered for re-use. Recycling scrap metal is a much greener option than mining virgin iron ore and turning it into steel - using much less energy and water and creating much less pollution.

Dr Sarah Green, who is launching a new University of Cumbria Foundation Degree in Engineering at nearby Energus, looked forward to working with Studsvik.

“Recovery and recycling of the metal components here in Cumbria saves primary resources and reduces the adverse environmental impacts associated with the long-term storage of unremediated low level nuclear waste,” she said. “The process here in Cumbria is an industrial application of the reduce, re-use and recycle waste hierarchy, and has the potential to contribute to the Cumbrian low carbon economy and offers educational opportunities."

October 2009

Studsvik help nuclear clean up with a 98% reduction in waste volume as first waste treatment results are in. Studsvik is delivering real environmental benefits for the nuclear industry with a massive 98% size reduction in their latest waste treatment, at the Metals Recycling Facility in Workington. Consisting of 12 half height ISO containers, the waste consignment would have normally been disposed of directly at LLWR, and is now less than 98% its original size.

The approximate volume of waste before treatment totalled 215m³. This has now been recycled and the total volume of secondary LLW waste to be returned for disposal is a mere 0.5m³. This has provided a huge decrease in waste volume for the Low Level Waste Repository near Drigg.

“This is a huge achievement for the Studsvik MRF in demonstrating our volume reduction capabilities for metallic Low Level Waste. This will aid the nuclear site operators in the application of the waste hierarchy and protecting the capacity of the LLW Repository in line with the National Low Level Waste strategy” says Mike McMullen, Facility Manager at the MRF.

For more information click here

September 2009

On September 3rd, Studsvik received its first delivery of twelve containers of metallic Low Level active waste for treatment. The metal is being treated by size-reduction and decontaminated by shot-blasting. The scrap is monitored to confirm that it is no longer subject to regulatory control and will be recycled.

"This is a very significant achievement for Studsvik. Securing the necessary regulatory consent to bring active material onto the Studsvik MRF nuclear licensed site represents a major milestone for us. We are delighted to be working with LLW Repository on this first project that enables us to bring our new facility into active operation, and to offer a new service to the UK nuclear industry," said Sam Usher, President.

To find out more please read Studsvik receive first delivery at MRF

Studsvik's Metals Recycling Facility received its consent to accept radioactive waste onto site for treatment on September 1st 2009.