Baler or compactor : how to choose your equipment?

Published on 20/01/2025

baler or compactor

Efficient waste management has become a major priority for companies that are concerned about the environment and want to reduce their costs. Among the possible solutions, compacting waste is an option that offers numerous benefits. In particular, it saves space, time and money by reducing the cost of transporting waste and/or selling the bales. There are two types of equipment for this task: balers and waste compactors. Let's take a look at the differences between these two types of equipment to find out which is best suited to your needs.

Waste balers : maximising recycling and generating revenue

The baler is designed to compress waste into dense rectangular bales, considerably reducing their volume by up to 15 times. This facilitates storage, freeing up space. Recyclable materials such as cardboard, plastic or aluminium, once compressed into bales, can be more easily transported to recycling centres. In addition, a distinctive feature of balers is the potential resale of the bales produced. This can generate additional income for your business, making waste management an economic opportunity.

 

There are 2 types of baler, each with its own distinct benefits:

Horizontal baler :

The horizontal baler is designed to handle large volumes of waste, making it ideal for large structures. It can compact a wider range of waste, including PET plastics and aluminium cans. As the compacting process is fully automated, it saves you a great deal of time and helps you to improve your productivity.

 

Vertical baler :

Unlike horizontal balers, vertical balers are much smaller, making them more suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. There are a number of models available for processing a variety of waste materials, including hazardous waste, and for compacting bales ranging in size from briquettes to 500 kg bales.

Waste compactor: versatility and efficiency

Designed for large volumes of waste, waste compactors are capable of handling a wide variety of materials, including those that are not necessarily recyclable. These machines, which use mechanical or hydraulic power, occupy roughly the same space as a container but can reduce the volume of waste by 3 to 8 times. Particularly suited to companies generating a wide range of waste, there are 2 types of compactor, each with its own advantages.

Portable compactor :

The portable compactor takes up as much space as a container, but reduces the volume of waste by 3 to 6 times. No special fittings are required for installation, and it can easily be moved if necessary. It can handle a wide variety of waste, including wet waste for our PHGT model.

 

Stationary compactor :

The stationary compactor is divided into of 2 parts: the press and the container. The press is solidly fixed to the ground and it the container is taken to the sorting centre and replaced by another when it's full, so that there is no activity interruption during this period. It is particularly well suited to large volumes of waste, which it can reduce by 4 to 8 times.

Choose the right solution for your needs

The choice between a baler and a compactor depends on a number of criteria:

  • The first factor to consider is the type(s) and volume of waste produced. Depending on the nature of the waste to be processed, the volumes, sizes and flows, certain machines will be more suitable.
  • Your activity: Does the machine have to operate continuously ? Should it be part of a production line ?
  • Your objectives: Space-saving, environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, versatile - our machines have the same function but do not offer the same benefits, so we need to determine what your waste management issues are.
  • The machine's environment: How much space is available ? Will the machine be placed indoors or outdoors? Could noise be a constraint ?

 

If your business produces mainly recyclable waste and you want to recover your waste while optimising storage space, a baler could be the ideal solution. If your business generates a variety of waste, including non-recyclable waste, a waste compactor offers the versatility needed to process these varied materials efficiently.

For a better analysis of your needs, contact us and ask for your free quote. An in-depth assessment of the composition of your waste and your objectives will be carried out to guide you towards the most optimal choice.

Published by Lorine Ghigonetto

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