Today, it is imperative for your business to maintain, and when possible, improve its sustainability initiative. While there are so many factors and areas to concentrate on when it comes to sustainability, the area of waste management is one that can easily be improved upon no matter your businesses’ industry or focus area.
If your business does not already have a baling machine – or baler – for its cardboard and/or plastic waste then you are missing an easy trick to improving your sustainability initiative. A baler will not only increase your green credentials but bring a host of other benefits including cost and space savings to your business. That’s because balers are suitable for any business that uses recycling or general waste bins for containing recyclables such as cardboard and plastic. Recycling and general waste bins are an outdated system of recycling waste management, which can be the bane of many operations and facilities managers’ lives. In terms of cost, these do not come cheap. It is likely these bins cost more than $11 a week to maintain and have emptied, and each bin lift is charged as regular as once or twice a week. Bins are also charged at the same amount even if they are not full, which is essentially paying to empty fresh air. Bins are also an eyesore and take up valuable space.
Businesses of all sizes, from an inner city restaurant to a factory on an industrial estate, can take advantage of a baler’s value. They are manufactured in different sizes to handle all quantities of cardboard and mass of cardboard boxes. At the end of the day they result in cheaper waste costs, space and time savings and an improvement to your sustainability initiative. Balers also render recycling bins useless, as all the material is crushed, baled and collected by an environmentally conscious waste management expert.
Businesses often find recyclable waste overflows into the general waste stream because of the space limitations in recycling bins. When this happens, costs not only increase but sustainability initiatives receive a setback as recyclable waste ends up at a landfill site. With landfill tax rising each year, it is becoming more important that only essential waste is sent to landfill; sending cardboard and plastic in with general waste is not going to do your business or the environment any favours. With a baler replacing bins, all cardboard and plastic can be baled and collected for a low cost or in many cases for free by a local recycler. Bales are highly valued by recyclers, which explains why the cost is so much more attractive compared with collections from waste management companies.
Removing bins also creates space in waste areas or the backyards of businesses. Space savings can be a real bonus, especially for smaller businesses where space is at a premium. There have been many examples of restaurants and retailers transforming their outside space into extra seating areas at the expense of hefty bins. Balers have about the same footprint as one 290 pound bin and in most cases one baler replaces multiple bins, so the space savings are obvious.
Time is also very important for businesses and it is vital for it to be used by each member of staff wisely. Balers are terrific time savers and will save hours of labor time each week. Firstly, balers can easily be situated close to the waste source. It is common for bins to be stored away from the working area because of their size and there always being the possibility of an unpleasant smell. This requires a time consuming walk for one or more members of staff each time. Secondly, cardboard and large pieces of plastic will need to be flat-packed in order to save space. It is no good throwing whole boxes into bins as they will be full in no time. Flat-packing will make space in the bin last longer but it is time consuming and a mundane task. A baler will handle whole cardboard boxes, regardless of size and large pieces of plastic so this easily saves time on flat-packing.
To conclude, your business can easily improve its sustainability initiative by installing a baler. All of your recyclable materials will be baled and collected by a recycler, which diminishes any possibility of these materials heading to landfill, lowering your Co2 footprint. Balers will also tidy up your waste area, with fewer bins and no overflowing mess, and can save your business money in the long-run.
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Author Bio:
Emma Evans is a versatile freelance writer, typically covering articles on the environment, sustainability and recycling practices. She enjoys widening her knowledge on climate change and alternative energy sources.
