Conveyor lines are used to transport materials to and from mechanical equipment within the MRF. In addition, flat belt conveyors will be used at the waste sorting stations since they permit easy access to the materials on the belts. Belt conveyors will be the most common types of conveyors utilized in the facility since they can effectively transport materials up steep inclines and are extremely versatile. Belt conveyors function through the continuous movement of a belt around two drums. The elevated drum rotor contains the motor, which serves to keep the motor as clean as possible. The belt moves along a supporting plate, and walls along the side of the conveyor are used to keep materials from falling off the belt. Screws will be used on the initial inclined conveyors to break the blue and green plastic bags that contain the recyclable materials. Flights will be necessary on other steeply inclined conveyors to prevent materials from sliding back.
The height of the flights and the angle, width and speed of the conveyor are all parameters that will be adjusted to provide the most efficient transport of the materials at various locations in the facility. The conveyors will be designed to handle the specific materials that they will encounter. Thus, the sunken conveyors that initially accept the waste will be designed differently than conveyors that are only transporting a specific material. Sensors and computers will automatically control the speed of each conveyor to adjust the depths of the feed and adapt to manual sorting rates. The conveyors will be durable, self-cleaning and designed to handle heavy loads so that the system will be able to process any type of waste composition.
