Baler Supplement -- Welcome

Tougher Than It Looks

Before they’re melted or pulped, most recyclables are processed. Processing could entail shredding, shearing or grinding, but one time-tested process common to nearly all materials is baling.

On its surface, baling seems simple enough. One is squeezing a metal box full of material into a smaller, denser cube. But one need only speak to a few recyclers or equipment makers to find out that a seemingly simple process can involve several difficult decisions.

Baler designers and engineers have to make machines that can effectively squeeze (and usually tie up) a range of different materials. Even a baler designed to work primarily with paper will probably encounter several different grades of material with different qualities.

Recyclers, for their part, have to sort through the claims of numerous manufacturers to determine which baler might best process their stream of material. They then must configure a baling operation that matches the right material handling process, the right sorting and conveying systems and the best shipping methods with the baler they are operating.

This issue of “baling logistics” is addressed in one of the feature stories this year in our third annual Recycling Today Baler Guide.

Within the 32-page guide, we certainly can’t address all the  decisions that surround choosing and operating a baler. But we believe once again that we have provided a set of information that can be useful to recyclers as they repeat this “simple” process in their day-to-day operations.

We ask manufacturers and processors what they think is involved in calculating the ongoing costs of operating a given baler. While doing the research to pay the best upfront price for a new baler may by itself be daunting, putting in the added time to determine what type of operating costs will occur can make or break a recycling center.

Another feature takes a look at baler jams, one of the primary headaches baler owners can encounter in the course of operating their machines.

For those new to the industry and just learning about how recyclable commodities are baled, our first feature presents an overview of different baler types and how they are used.