QCR waste baler spotlight

Today we’ll put our waste balers under the microscope, which will give you an idea as to which kind of baler your business may need.

Materials
Waste balers are designed to compact soft recyclable materials. These will generally be cardboard, paper and plastic but other materials can always be tested. Balers are flexible and here at QCR we will always try a baling solution however bespoke the material.

Cardboard is a particular nuisance for many businesses as it takes up lots of space and often needs to be broken down. It can also be expensive to have collected when it’s placed in bins. A cardboard waste baler will take the strain off you and process all the cardboard. All you have to do is place the whole box in the baler chamber and when full, press a button or flick a lever to crush the cardboard. When the baler is full, a bale can be made in a couple of minutes. It certainly beats constant flat-packing. Baled cardboard will then be collected by a recycler and rebates may also be given.

Similar comments apply to soft plastic. Large amounts of polythene can take up space in bins but this will stop by installing a baler. The bins can be removed and all bales will be collected by a recycler also. Baling both cardboard and plastic ensures up to 100% of waste can be recycled as well.

Hydraulic or pneumatic?
We offer a free site survey for all customers and here we can determine whether a hydraulic or pneumatic waste baler will suit you best. If your business has its own air on site then a pneumatic baler is likely to be ideal. Many manufacturers and repair centres use pneumatic balers for this reason. We supply compressors as well so if a pneumatic baler is ideal for you but you don’t have the air, this is no problem. For ease of use we would argue pneumatics just have the edge over hydraulics. With bale-out kickers fitted on most pneumatic models, bale ejection is made simple.

For large volumes of recyclables, a hydraulic waste baler is likely to suit best. We offer a range of hydraulics that either requires single-phase or three-phase electrics – the larger, more powerful balers are likely to need the latter. You are also likely to achieve a denser cardboard bale with a hydraulic machine as the compaction pressure is stronger. Your business may not need to produce such quality bales though, in which case a pneumatic machine would be more than fine. It depends on what your local recycler is looking for. Again, all will be explained during the free site survey.

Small or large?
A combination of quantities and space will determine what size waste baler you need. Thankfully QCR has every baler size available. From the smallest QCR 102 baler to a range of horizontal balers, we’ve got you covered.

Bars, restaurants and any business on the high street are ideally suited to small balers and this is largely down to space constraints. The footprint of a small pneumatic or hydraulic baler is roughly the same as just one 1100 litre size bin so they are often situated in convenient locations.

A manufacturer or supermarket on the other hand will have more space and is likely to produce high volumes of waste; therefore something larger like a QCR H7 baler or bigger would suit. If a mill size or horizontal baler is required then this will largely be down to volumes (space is obviously needed to!) but to save on labour hours and to produce high quality bales worthy of recycler rebates, these machines may well be required.

For a substantial review of your business waste, book your free site survey today. We will come along at your convenience and provide the best possible advice, from what baler will suit you best to bale collections. Let a QCR waste baler take the strain from you and your staff members.