In July 2021, the Ahr River burst its banks and sent water surging through the local area, causing great damage. More than 140 people died in the flash floods with a further 17,000 suffering severe damage to their properties. When the disaster recovery workers arrived on the scene, they were confronted with a picture of utter devastation, with bulky waste clogging the streets and mountains of driftwood piled up on the banks of the Ahr. Many volunteers come to support the hard hit population. Among the helpers is the waste management company Wertstoff- & Recyclinghof Kockmann from Ochtrup, 250km away, with company CEO Martin Brinkschmidt personally delivering Lindner Recyclingtech’s Urraco 95DK to help with the clean-up operation.

“That’s more or less how I imagine a war zone to be,” said a deeply affected Martin Brinkschmidt after his arrival at the flooded area, with collapsed houses, washed away bridges and lots of rubbish. “There is a lot to do. We are dealing with the mountains of driftwood. Lindner specifically sent us two technicians to personally install the powerful and robust LW-10.10 twin shaft cutting system, which is also perfectly suitable for bulky waste wood.”

“When our customers set out to help in a disaster area, we are more than happy to support them,” says Wulf Schellwanich, sales manager at Lindner Recyclingtech. “Our Urraco mobile shredder is inherently versatile and can be used for wood, waste wood, metal and bulky goods. Each material has different requirements and the twin shaft cutting system we install in each Urraco is adapted to the specifics of the input material. In the beginning, we didn't know how to best support the disaster relief efforts on the ground. When the Urraco was called in to shred driftwood, we immediately dispatched an installation team to make the shredder fit for the specific requirements.”

The Urraco’s twin shaft cutting system is incredibly resistant to non shreddable items, which is critical in situations like these. The driftwood in the flooded area is mixed up with mud and stones as well as materials such as mattresses, metal grates and other objects that were washed out of homes. The specifically designed pull-in rippers’ ensures that the material is shredded with maximum efficiency. The rippers pull the material into the rotor with special hooks, achieving continuous material feeding and a consistent throughput quality.

“The material we shred is very special, heavily soaked, muddy and rich in minerals. In terms of power and performance this is not a challenge for the Urraco. We shred more than 50t/h of material, and we do that 12h to 14h a day, seven days a week,” says a satisfied Brinkschmidt. Although the clean-up has been in full swing for over a month, the Kockmann employees will probably remain on site with the Urraco for another two to three months and further support clean-up efforts.