The Board of the Recycling Centre decided to purchase a second baler to manage the increase in recyclables from homes. It is making big changes to the way recyclables are prepared for shipping.
Recycling Centre staff goes through all the bags and boxes of recyclables. The glass, beer cans and garbage is removed and the recyclables are placed in large plastic bags. These bags used to be stored in one of the semi-trailers attached to the building until the comingled materials were baled. Often the need to keep up with baling cardboard meant the trailer would be piled full.
Emptying the bags into opening in the front of the baler was awkward. Many items had to be cleaned up from the floor.
The conveyor feed on the new baler changes all that. The large bags are emptied as soon as they are filled. Bags and boxes that arrive with no glass or garbage are emptied straight into the hopper on the conveyor. When it is full, the baler and conveyor are turned on and the recyclables are fed into the back of the baler.
When the materials reach a specific level in the baler the conveyor stops and the baler presses the materials. After the press, the conveyor continues to feed the recyclables.
The sensors still need to be set for the baler to stop feeding when the bale is done.
The first bales were 51 inches across. They can only be 45 inches to fit side by side in the semi-trailer for shipping.
The Recycling Centre isn’t very big so organizing the stacking pallets, carts and bales is a work in progress.
An open house is planned for Earth Day in April.