01242 620903Industrial Plastic Compactors
QCR have been a leading supplier of plastic waste compactors in the UK since 1999. Our compaction equipment can help your business to reduce the disposal costs of most types of plastic waste including shrinkwrap, plastic bottles, plastic trays and polythene.
Plastic Compactors mechanically compress plastic waste into bales to reduce overall volume, leading to savings in disposal costs and fewer recycling bins.
Hiring a Plastic Waste Compactor?
Compactor rental starting from only £16.00 per week (excluding VAT) is a popular choice for many businesses in the UK. When you choose QCR to hire your baler from you'll enjoy the following benefits as standard:
- Free equipment delivery and installation by our own team (some geographical restrictions apply)
- Free machine servicing and breakdown cover from our own QCR SafeContractor™ team
- Free ongoing equipment training and documentation (risk assessments & method statements provided for your records)
- An inflation-proof rental contract with no annual price increases
Choose your plastic compactor with confidence by booking a free, no-obligation site survey at your workplace with one of our team. Free trials available.
All our compactors are CE marked.
QCR Small Pneumatic Plastic Compactor
Our smallest air-powered compactor for plastic and cardboard waste. This mini plastic baler is perfect for businesses with limited space and can be located inside or outside.
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CE Marked
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For use indoors or outdoors
QCR H3 Soft Plastic Recycling Compactor
This medium plastic compactor features a bale-out kicker to reduce manual handling. This baler can compact plastic shrinkwrap, plastic film, polythene and cardboard waste into neat bales helping to reduce the bins you require.
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Conforms to EN16500:2014 Safety Standards
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13amp plug socket required
QCR PET Plastic Bottle Compactor
A specialist baler for PET bottes which can also be used for crushing alumiunium cans in bulk. This equipment is a popular hospitality waste compactor for bars, restaurants, charities and workplace canteens to improve their sustainability and in some cases turn their waste into value.
- Crushes drinks cans in bulk
- Compacts empty PET bottles in bulk
QCR Large Plastic Waste Compactor
This hydraulic plastic compactor is probably the largest single phase plastic compactor available in the UK with a pressing force of up to 10 tonnes. It has a large aperture designed for efficient loading of both cardboard and plastic waste material which is compacted into bales with ease. This vertical compactor is great for businesses who have large volumes of waste.
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Pneumatic equivalent compactor also available
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Free comprehensive warranty supplied
QCR Mill Size Plastic Waste Compactor
This 3 phase hydraulic mill size compactor is designed for very large amounts of soft or hard plastic waste. The bales of recycling are valuable and can be sold for recycling if they are of a specific size and quality.
- Balers in stock for fast delivery
- Delivered and installed by our professional team
- New & Refurbished Mill Size Compactors available
5 Benefits of Using a Plastic Compactor
- Cost Savings & Revenue Generation: Compacted plastic waste occupies less space making it more efficient to transport than uncompacted material which lowers your disposal costs. Businesses compacting plastic in volume have the greatest opportunity to turn plastic waste into value.
- Increased Workplace Efficiency: By installing a plastic compactor at the point of waste generation, businesses can eliminate the labour-intensive process of moving loose waste to outside bins.
- Environmental Sustainability: Compacting plastic waste reduces cross-contamination with other types of waste preventing it from going to landfill which is subject to landfill tax. The simple act of compressing plastic packaging into bales makes it more economical to both transport and recycle. If all businesses compacted their loose plastic waste, fewer waste collection vehicles would would be needed in the UK.
- Aid Compliance: A compactor can help your workplace comply with its duty of care to store plastic waste properly by securing it into a neat bale tied with banding or wires. Plastic debris that has escaped from open waste containers is treated as littering or fly-tipping leaving companies at risk of fines under the Environmental Protection Act.
- Improve Site Hygiene: Lightweight plastic waste stored in open bins or skips can be dispersed by wind which is why many businesses choose to compact it into a bale instead. If windblown plastic rubbish causes an employee to injure themselves the business can be held legally liable under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Which machine is best for compacting plastic?
Disposing of plastic packaging waste in a sustainable way is an important consideration for most businesses in the UK in light of Simpler Recycling waste legislation which applies to the disposal of business waste in 2026. Understandably, a lot of confusion exists about what types of plastic can be recycled, however, for businesses help is at hand with QCR's Free Plastic Waste Audit. This quick, no obligation meeting with one of our experts at your bin store can help you identify which types of plastic waste can be compacted and recycled.
PUWER Compliance
Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1999 (PUWER), employers must ensure that Plastic Compactors are suitable for their intended use, safe to operate, properly maintained, inspected by a competent person and used only by trained personnel.
This table explains how QCR can help you satisfy the main PUWER requirements:
| PUWER Regulation | Description | QCR Credentials & Support |
| Equipment Suitability | Compactor must be fit for their intended purpose | QCR have supplied Plastic Compaction Equipment to businesses for over 25 years. |
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Equipment Maintenance |
Compactors must be maintained in good working order. | QCR offer free compactor maintenace advice to all customers. |
| Equipment Inspections | Compactors must be inspected regularly by a competent person | QCR's expert Compactor Servicing Team are SafeContractor™ approved. Free routine servicing is included with every rental contract. |
| Equipment Safety | Compactors must be safe | QCR supplies plastic compactors that are CE or UKCA marked and compliant with EN 16500:2014 |
| Equipment Training and Competence | Employers must provide employees with adequate information, instruction and training | QCR provide free compactor operator training sessions to all customers |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What types of plastic waste can be compacted?
Plastic compactors can be used to bale shrink wrap, plastic film, plastic bottles, plastic trays, polythene, food packaging and milk bottles. Almost any type of plastic recyclable material can be compacted into bales, increasing its value and reducing its volume.
2. What is a Plastic Waste Compactor?
A plastic waste compactor is a hydraulic or pneumatic machine that compacts plastic waste into plastic bales which are recyclable. By the simple act of baling plastic waste, it is diverted away from bins enabling your business to either reduce the frequency that emptying is required or reduce the number of wheelie bins you need to hire.
3. How is plastic waste disposed by UK businesses?
Many businesses in the UK place their waste into traditional trade waste bins or skips. However, due to the voluminous nature of the material, these bins may fill up quickly, but in terms of weight, contain very little actual material. Plastic compaction is the answer to handling your waste in a more environmentally friendly way.
4. What happens to baled plastic waste?
QCR have a network of reliable registered waste carriers who can collect your bales. You also have the freedom to select your own carrier giving you full flexibility to organise the right bale collection arrangement for your business.
