Biffa: From Hire to Ownership

How a long-term partnership led Biffa to invest in HAAS Shredding Solutions with CRJ

Across high-volume waste processing sites, consistency is everything. Every day, site managers and operational teams are under pressure to keep material moving, minimise downtime, and control costs – all while processing bulky, contaminated, and unpredictable waste.

For over six years, Biffa worked in partnership with CRJ, operating HAAS Tyron 2000 XL 2.0 slow-speed shredders on long-term hire across three major UK waste processing sites: Glasgow, Newcastle, and St Helens. This hire model provided Biffa with flexibility, guaranteed uptime, and full-service support, all while allowing Biffa to fully validate machine performance in real-world conditions.

That extended hire period became more than a supply agreement. It became the foundation of a long-term strategic relationship.

Building Confidence Through Hire

Hiring the Haas slow-speed shredders enabled Biffa’s site managers, engineers, and safety teams to work closely with CRJ, gaining first-hand experience of:

• Machine performance under sustained, high-throughput conditions
• Responsiveness of service, maintenance, and breakdown support
• Suitability of slow-speed shredding for general and commercial waste.
• CRJ’s ability to engineer solutions around safety and site-specific needs

Over time, this operational exposure created measured confidence – not assumptions – in both the equipment and the partner supporting it.

By 2024, Biffa had accumulated six years of detailed performance, maintenance, and cost data. This insight allowed them to review their long-term strategy with clarity and certainty.

From Proven Hire to Confident Ownership

With performance already proven on site, Biffa undertook a total cost of ownership analysis, using real operational data gathered during the hire period. The findings confirmed that transitioning to ownership would deliver long-term cost efficiency.

Having already validated the solution, Biffa selected CRJ as its continued partner and invested in three customised HAAS Tyron 2000 XL 2.0 slow-speed shredders, purpose-built for Biffa’s H&S policy.

This transition demonstrates the value of hire not just as a short-term solution, but as a strategic pathway to informed capital investment.

Why the HAAS Tyron 2000 XL 2.0?

Biffa’s waste streams are bulky, contaminated, variable, and unpredictable – a profile shared by many large-scale transfer stations. The HAAS Tyron 2000 XL 2.0 was selected not just as a shredder, but as a solution to this challenge.

Across the three sites, this configuration delivers the throughput capacity required for high-volume, continuous operation, while maintaining control over material flow and machine stress.

The inclusion of HAAS Telematics provides real-time visibility of machine performance and operating efficiency, alongside proactive maintenance alerts. This enables informed decision-making, supports preventative maintenance strategies, and helps maximise uptime across high-utilisation sites.

Key advantages include:

Slow-speed, high-torque shredding enables controlled processing, reducing wear, minimising fire risk, and limiting material shock.

Independently driven shafts minimise jamming from metals, oversized items, and wrapped waste, resulting in fewer stoppages, improved uptime, and consistent throughput.

An adjustable output size of 300–500 mm enables efficient downstream sorting without over-processing, while supporting smoother material flow and overall system efficiency.

Engineered by CRJ

Before delivery, each shredder underwent bespoke engineering work carried out by CRJ Services, transforming standard machines into site-ready solutions.

Custom Protective Guarding

Designed and manufactured in CRJ’s Cheshire engineering workshop, the guarding package included:

• Roller, bearing, and nip-point guarding
• Maintenance access doors designed around operational workflows
• Integration with existing site safety systems

These solutions ensure operator protection, regulatory compliance, and long-term usability – and can also be retrofitted to existing machinery.

Fire Suppression Systems

Fire risk is one of the most significant and well-understood challenges facing modern waste processing operations. The increasing presence of lithium-ion batteries, vapes, embedded power packs, and other ignition sources within waste streams has made shredding operations particularly vulnerable to fires and thermal events.

Even with robust operational controls, these materials can enter the waste stream unnoticed, creating a risk that escalates rapidly once material is processed.

To proactively manage this risk, all HAAS Tyron shredders are all fitted with AFIL fire suppression systems, providing an integrated, automatic layer of protection at the point of highest risk. These systems deliver:

• Automatic detection and rapid response
• Protection of high-value capital equipment
• Reduced insurance exposure
• Enhanced safety for operational staff
• Greater confidence in continuous operation

For site managers and safety officers, this transformed fire risk from a concern into a controlled variable.

Total Support for Your Shredding Operation

A defining advantage of working with CRJ is single-source responsibility. Rather than coordinating multiple suppliers, contractors, and service providers, customers benefit from one accountable partner managing every element of the equipment lifecycle, from specification and engineering through to long-term support.

Beyond installation, CRJ continues to provide end-to-end aftersales support, including servicing, warranty management, parts supply, and full machine and engine servicing. This integrated approach removes complexity, reduces risk, and gives operators the confidence that their equipment is supported by a partner who understands both the machine and the operational environment it works in.