Managing commercial waste can be a cumbersome task if you are not efficient about it. You can soon find your facility littered with bits of waste material, your waste bins overflowing, and chaos all around. Managing your waste stream is almost as important as managing your supply chain, especially for your bottom line.
Waste processing in your facility is a way in which you can keep a tight check on your waste management budgets. Compactors and balers are essential types of machinery in this regard. Material balers compress recyclable material into tightly packed bales which can then be stored and transported to recycling centers easily.
Balers come in many sizes, and there are a wide variety of materials that can be baled. Depending on your need and the kind of waste you have, investing in the right baler can save you a lot of money and help reduce your commercial waste bill. This blog will discuss how balers can be used and how it cuts down on your waste costs. Let’s go.
Why Bale Waste?
Baling waste is a great way to save costs. Balers compress the waste materials into bales of a pre-determined sizes. One of the biggest advantages to waste baling is that it reduces the volume of waste considerably. In a factory environment or any other commercial setting, space is often at a premium. You do not want waste occupying large amounts of space. Baling helps save space. Waste baled into neat bales can be stacked and stored in a smaller space.
Another important aspect is savings in waste transportation costs. If you are working with waste haulers, hauling unbaled waste will take up a lot of space. You will have to spend more to transport waste with multiple trips required in trucks. Fuel costs and transportation costs will eat into your waste management budgets significantly. Not to mention the environmental impact. Baled waste takes up less space and hence more waste can be transported on trucks.
Finally, most recyclable materials and solid waste will be sent to vendors who will be recycling these materials. Some of these vendors will be located overseas or in distant locations. Most of these vendors would only accept baled waste as it won’t be economical for them to transport unbaled waste by any means.
How Do Balers Work?
Balers consist of 3 major parts. A hopper where waste is collected, a compactor that compresses the waste to a bale and tied or wrapped, and the power unit. Depending on the material that is to be baled and the quantity of the waste, balers are of different kinds.
Wrapping or tying the bales is an important part of the process. The bales need to be protected from moisture and also from pests. Wrapping in the plastic film helps especially if it has to be transported over large distances. Tie balers automatically do the tying once the bales are created and this saves time.
Baler design is also done after taking into consideration the types of materials to be baled. For cardboard boxes and used plastic bottles or PET bottles, the balers do not need to be very powerful and can easily compress these materials. But if you are dealing with scrap metal or construction materials, you would need heavy-duty balers or two-ram balers for the job.
What Types of Waste Can be Baled?
You can use baling machines to bale a wide variety of materials. Most commercial waste products can be baled. Here are some of the different types of waste products that can be baled using a recycling baler.
- Cardboard boxes and other paper products
- Plastic bottles, PET bottles
- Scrap metal
- MSW (Municipal Solid Waste)
- Textiles
Most of these waste materials can be baled easily using common balers found in the market today.
What are the Different Types of Balers?
Let’s now look at the different types of balers available and how you can use these in your organization to bale material and save time.
Vertical Balers
Vertical balers are compact balers that compress waste using a ram that crushes waste from above. It is usually used in places where there is a lack of space. Vertical balers are not that great when it comes to capacity. It is suitable for organizations that have a low quantity of waste to process per hour and have good ceiling height but not enough floor space.
Horizontal Balers
Horizontal balers as the name indicates have a horizontal arrangement. Waste is fed into the baler using a conveyor belt or similar arrangement. The horizontal baler then uses rams to compress this waste into bales. Horizontal bales take up more space and are capable of handling larger quantities of waste materials.
Horizontal balers also come in auto-tie and closed-door variants. The auto-tie variant ties the bale once the baling it complete. This saves time and the cost of tying the bale once it has been created. The closed-door variant creates very densely packed bales that reduce the volume of the waste significantly.
Heavy Duty Industrial Balers
Industrial balers are used to bale heavy-duty materials into tight bales. These baler machines can compress large waste products such as automobiles. These balers use high-quality material for durability as the waste products they are dealing with can easily damage the baler.
Specialty Balers
Specialty balers are specifically designed to handle one type of material. Some specialty balers have liquid collection chambers that allow for collecting liquids that are ejected from the waste once it is compressed. Saw dust balers and Foam scrap balers are other examples of specialty balers.
Two-Ram Balers
Two ram balers have 2 rams as the name indicates. One ram is used to collect the waste that is fed into the hopper and create a bale while the other is used to tie the bale and eject it from the machine. These balers are used in facilities where they are dealing with large-capacity waste.
What Should You Think About Before Buying a Baler for Your Organization
Now that we have discussed the different types of balers and their purpose, it’s also important to discuss what you should be thinking about before you purchase a baler for your organization. Balers are machinery that can come with high investment. So making a smart choice is necessary to ensure maximum ROI.
One of the first things to consider is the types of waste you would be baling using these machines. This will narrow down the choices considerably. Buying a baler that can bale most of the waste that you are producing will give you the best results. The quantity of the waste you have to bale will also help you determine the type of baler you want.
The space available is another consideration. If you do not have a lot of waste to process and you do not have a lot of space, a mini baler or a vertical baler may be the best option. However, if you have enough space and enough quantity of waste, investing in a horizontal baler will help you.
Finally, think about the investment you are willing to make. Buying a baler outright is one option to consider if you have enough budgets to work with. If you don’t, there are other available options. You can buy refurbished balers or even rent or lease a baler. Find the most optimal investment you want to make before purchasing a new baler.
Closing Thoughts
Balers are an integral part of the waste stream management process. It saves you a significant amount of money by reducing the volume of waste you have to deal with, streamlining waste transportation, and reducing the costs of transportation.
Balers come in different types. Depending on the type of waste and the quantity of waste, investing in the right baler will help you boost your bottom line significantly. Making a smart decision based on your waste collection and management strategy.
We at Waste Control Inc have helped many organizations streamline their waste management process by adopting the right strategy, finding the best vendors to work with, and investing in the right equipment for the job. Get a quote from our experts today!