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In a sustainability-focused landscape, the reality around waste in warehouses is sobering. According to a report from Supply Chain Waste, some $163 billion of inventory is thrown away each year.
This poses a range of problems for warehouse managers, including:
- Lower profit margins
- Increased environmental impact
- Potential fines or legal action with waste management.
Transforming our waste management has the potential not only to save us money, but time. In turn, we avoid legal complications and enjoy higher profits, as well as more free time to focus on the important tasks. A waste baler is a great place to start.
How does a waste baler work?
Waste balers are designed to take recyclable materials, such as cardboard, and compress them into manageable ‘bales’. This saves significant amounts of space, thereby reducing waste management costs and preventing materials from going to landfill.
Investing in a waste baler offers a huge return on investment. This comes down to the baler’s cost efficiencies. For example, waste balers can:
Optimise waste handling
Landfill fees cost as much as £102.10 per tonne in 2023. By reducing the weight of waste, not only are we protecting the planet, but keeping costs down.
Improve space efficiency
By crushing recyclable waste, warehouse managers can save on storage, handling, and transportation costs. This allows more on-site space for stock or useful resources, such as equipment.
Reduce labour costs
Waste balers also have a significant impact on staff. By spending less time manually loading and storing waste, they can focus on other tasks and lessen their risk of injuries.
Minimise downtime
When warehouses don’t have to rely on incinerators, skip collections, and landfill, they benefit from time savings. Compressing all recyclable materials in one machine reduces the potential for error – thereby saving staff time and potential equipment downtime.
Enhance safety
Compressing materials together reduces their surface area, which in turn lowers fire risks. Recyclable materials like cardboard are combustible, so we can minimise warehouse fires by reducing the amount of space required.
Likewise, warehouse workers are less likely to suffer manual handling injuries if they are not sorting through waste.
From sustainability to cost savings: other benefits of using waste balers
Waste balers are not only efficient at saving space. They also offer considerable savings on transport miles – reducing carbon emissions and costs. Our client, Brabantia, reported saving 407.2 transport miles annually, equating to 1.32 metric tonnes of CO2 per year.
Delving deeper into the financial benefits, for a company producing one tonne of cardboard on a weekly basis — and incurring a cost of £85 + VAT per week for skip collections — opting for our machinery rental service at £59 per week would emerge as a more financially prudent choice. This transition holds the potential to yield a profit saving of £26 per week through the processing of cardboard into a mill-size bale. Not only does this shift curtail the expenditure on waste management, but it also opens avenues for revenue generation from the baled cardboard, estimated at a conservative £50 per tonne, subject to market fluctuations. This could result in overall profits of approximately £76 per week, presenting a compelling and consistent opportunity for weekly financial gains.
Which waste baler is right for me?
Every company has different waste management needs. That’s why Riverside offers a 17-strong range of balers, allowing for factors like material type, size, and volume, as well as space and throughput. Some of our best-known models include:
• RWM 40: part of the Compact range, this model is ideal for schools, takeaways, and small retailers.
• RWM60-400: the perfect all-rounders for companies with small and large waste volumes, featuring ergonomic designs for easy loading.
• RWM 500: a mill-size baling press designed for shipping containers and general transport, great for recyclers and industrial users.
Not sure which baler will meet your needs? Read our Waste Baler Buying Guide.
Maximise your efficiency and profits with warehouse waste balers
In a cost of living and climate change crisis, streamlining operations is a necessity. Waste balers offer an affordable, sustainable solution on a buy-or-rent basis, allowing companies to cut costs and protect the environment. What’s more, they’ll help you prioritise staff health and save time.
But don’t just take our word for it: hear from the professionals with our previous client case studies. If you’d like to discuss how a waste baler could help your business, get in touch with us at sales@wastemachinery.co.uk or on 01423 325038.
For more information on Time is money — five ways waste balers can streamline warehouse operations talk to Riverside Waste Machinery Ltd