What are recycling compactors and why are they good for small businesses?

Whether you have been in business for most of your working life, or you are a rookie, it’s hard to ignore that humongous amount of waste that comes out of offices and retailers. This isn’t just the pollution of the air, this is also the amount of material waste and the number of recyclable goods that are just mixed in with the general waste to help companies cut down on costs. This can be a depressing sight, especially if you are an environmental enthusiast like so many of the newer generations are these days. There are ways of getting around all of these goods going to landfill, and saving businesses money at the same time. One of these ways is through getting recycling compactors. 

What is a recycling compactor and what does it do?

A recycling compactor is a bit of machinery that compacts certain recyclable materials, such as aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, plastic wrap, and office paper, which can be put into a baler to be turned into bales for easy transportation. These are good to store or to sell on to potential end-users. There are three main types of compactor recycling equipment, and all have different uses to different companies. 

What are the different kinds of recycling compactors and how do businesses use them?

There are three main kinds of compactor, and each one is brought depending on about three different factors: size, bale generation rates, and what materials they can compact. Making the right choice can help businesses work efficiently and help generate the least amount of wasted recyclable goods possible. 

• Horizontal Compactor. This compactor is the one that takes up the most amount of space, about 12 feet (approximately 3.7 meters) horizontally. It can bale a wide range of recyclable materials, up to a high rate of about 30 potential bales per hour, meaning that companies that generate a lot of waste would need at least one of these. They are generally priced between $5,000 to one million dollars.
• Vertical Compactor. This compactor will also take up at least 12 feet in space, but vertically. It is pretty much the same as a horizontal compactor, apart from its compact production rate is far slower, generally producing one potential bale an hour. They are also good if a company is primarily recycling cardboard. They are also within a similar price range of the horizontal compactors, due to their size and weight. They also have a far smaller bale output size of about 1,000 pounds (approximately 453.6 kilograms). 
• Mini Compactor. As named, these compactors are far smaller than the 12-foot compactors. They are also far cheaper, too, ranging in between about $900 to $4,000. This is good for small businesses who don’t need much in the way of recycling apart from recyclable packaging materials, as this is what mini compactors support. You might also see waste hauler costs decrease when using a mini compactor, so that’s good to keep in mind too.