How to Maximise Warehouse Space with a Cardboard Baler

Optimising waste storage space is one of the primary objectives of any warehouse because it maximises storage capacity without requiring costly expansions.  Read our guide below to find understand why balers are reshaping the way businesses store cardboard waste at their site and why baling is the preferred method.

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Need to maximise your warehouse space? Research baling!

In this era of uncertainty, most businesses would prefer to avoid the cost of moving premises due to the lack of warehouse space. As the leading voice within the waste compaction industry, QCR proves that you can radically optimise warehouse space by baling cardboard. Investing in a baler can also yield lower recycling costs by delivering significant operational and sustainable rewards. 

How a Cardboard Baler Maximises Warehouse Space

The results from baling cardboard at your warehouse are instantaneous and measurable.  Balers mechanically compact redundant cardboard boxes up to 85%, leaving them at around 15% of the volume they used to be.  This volume reduction maximises the amount of waste you can safely store without the need for costly facility expansions.

Calculating Warehouse Space Efficiency: Before and After Baling

Calculating the space efficiency of your warehouse before and after the installation of a cardboard baler provides a clear picture of how it helps to reduce the amount of space needed to store cardboard. A basic calculation involves:

Space Efficiency (%) = (Space occupied by waste cardboard / total warehouse area) x 100

The larger the difference between the figures before and after the baler has been installed, the larger the benefit.

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Common warehouse cardboard recycling problems (and solutions)

An accumulation of cardboard causes the following risks at warehouses:

• Fire hazards: Cardboard box waste stored incorrectly inside your warehouse can block fire exits. Cardboard is flammable and is classed as a combustible solid material which can catch fire easily when exposed to an open flame or high heat source.
• Trip hazards: Boxes on the floor of a warehouse are a major trip hazard that can cause serious falls resulting in legal issues for employers.
• Increased labour costs: With staffing costs on the rise, employers now simply cannot afford for their team to be stood around squashing boxes into costly recycling bins.
• Legal ramifications: Commercial warehouses are legally required under laws like the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to manage, separate and dispose of cardboard waste responsibly.
• Space-intensive storage demands: Wheeled recycling bins occupy lots of floor space but frustratingly, only hold a comparatively small amount of recyclable material making them a highly inefficient way of storing cardboard.

To solve cardboard recycling problems at your warehouse you have 3 options:

1. Up-size your bins
2. Organise more frequent waste collections
3. Install a baler

Whilst all options have an incremental cost, the use of a baler to aid recycling can actually help you to reduce your waste collection costs overall whilst also saving time and boosting sustainability. 

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Right machine, right location

When choosing a warehouse baler for compacting cardboard, there are three key requirements that the machine you choose must fulfil:

1. Increase your space by reducing the number of bins you need
2. Improve waste management procedures
3. Maintain safety standards

Top Tips to Assist with Warehouse Balers

• Install it thoughtfully: Ideally, put your baler next to the source of your waste. If space is limited inside your warehouse, you switch to an outdoor warehouse baler instead.
• Choose your waste baler size wisely: Vertical balers require less space than horizontal machines.
• Maximise usage: Improve the output of your baler by using it for baling your plastic packaging waste too.
• Source from a reputable supplier:  Get advice from an established business such as QCR, who have at least 20+ years of experience of installing baling equipment within warehouse settings.
• Condense recycling bins: Baling cardboard can reduce the number of commercial recycling bins you need so you'll be able to cut the number of bulky bins you need

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Final thoughts

Before considering a move to a larger premises, many businesses look at how they can utilise their existing warehouse space more efficiently. The waste collection point within your warehouse is an often-overlooked area where space can be better utilised if you make the switch from bins to a baler.

QCR’s range of Warehouse Balers can help any organisation to boost the efficiency of their waste handling. In many cases, we can also offer your warehouse team a free trial so you can get valuable firsthand experience of the benefits of using one compared to traditional bins. Our knowledgeable expert team are SafeContractor™ accredited giving you extra confidence when we visit your warehouse to provide you with a free, no obligation advice.