Baler machine: choosing one for the material you have
A baler machine does one thing: it makes a loose material dense enough to be worth transporting. Which machine you need depends far more on what you are baling than on how much of it there is.
Baler machines: key facts
| What it is for | Turning a bulky material into a dense, tied bale a reprocessor will buy by weight |
|---|---|
| Common materials | Cardboard, paper, plastic film and shrink wrap, plastic bottles, cans, textiles |
| Vertical | Hand loaded, small footprint, needs headroom, lower throughput |
| Horizontal | Often conveyor fed, continuous, larger bales, needs floor space and access |
| Tying | Wire or strapping, depending on the machine and the material |
| Legal duty | PUWER 1998: suitable equipment, guarded dangerous parts, trained operators |
Match the machine to the material
Cardboard and paper. The most common use and the easiest. Both vertical and horizontal machines handle it, and the only real care is keeping it dry and keeping grades apart.
Plastic film and shrink wrap. Pallet wrap is a large volume stream in any warehouse, and clean, clear film is a genuinely valuable material. It behaves differently from cardboard in a baler, being springy rather than crushable, so bale retention and tying matter more. Worth saying to a supplier explicitly if film is part of your mix.
Plastic bottles. Need to be baled in a machine that will hold them compressed; they recover more than cardboard does.
Cans. Aluminium and steel cans bale well and are worth sorting by metal rather than baling together, since aluminium and steel are different money.
Textiles. A separate case again, and usually handled by specialist equipment where volumes justify it.
A machine specified for cardboard and then fed film will produce bales that fall apart on handling, which the reprocessor will reject or downgrade. Specify the mix honestly at the quote stage.
The specifications that matter
- Bale size and weight. This drives whether a reprocessor wants to collect from you at all, because a lorry is paid by the journey.
- Chamber opening. Whether your typical box or wrap goes in without being cut first.
- Footprint and height. Vertical balers need surprising headroom to open.
- Power supply. Single phase and three phase machines exist, and finding out which you have afterwards is expensive.
- Who empties it, and how. Bales are heavy. If a bale has to cross the yard, something has to move it.
Safety and the law
Balers apply very large forces inside an enclosed chamber, and the dangerous moment is clearing a blockage. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require that work equipment is suitable for its use, that dangerous parts are guarded, that operators have had adequate training, and that equipment is properly maintained.
The practical rules follow from that: named trained operators only, isolate and lock off before anyone puts a hand anywhere near the chamber, never defeat an interlock or guard, and keep to the manufacturer's service schedule and instructions, including on who may operate the machine.
Questions for a supplier
- What materials is this machine specified for, and what happens to the bale if we feed it film as well as cardboard?
- What does a full bale weigh, and will a reprocessor collect at that size?
- Is this purchase, lease, rental or free on loan against a material supply agreement?
- If the material rate is part of the deal, is it fixed or indexed?
- What is included in maintenance, what is the response time, and what does a breakdown cost us?
- What training do you provide, and is it on our site with our staff?
Our directory lists companies that collect and buy baled material by postcode and material type, and our prices pages carry the current UK figures so you can sanity check a quoted rebate.
What a reprocessor pays depends on what the material becomes, and our guides to cardboard recycling and plastic recycling cover that for the two commonest streams.
Frequently asked questions
What materials can a baler machine handle?
Cardboard and paper most commonly, plus plastic film and shrink wrap, plastic bottles, cans and textiles. Film behaves differently from cardboard, being springy rather than crushable, so tell a supplier if film is part of your mix.
What size baler do I need?
It is driven by bale weight more than throughput, because a reprocessor is deciding whether a lorry journey to you is worth making. Ask what a full bale weighs and whether they will collect at that size.
Can I bale cardboard and plastic film in the same machine?
Only if it is specified for both. A machine set up for cardboard will produce film bales that come apart in handling, and a reprocessor will reject or downgrade them.
What are the legal requirements for operating a baler?
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require suitable equipment, guarded dangerous parts, trained operators and proper maintenance. Isolate and lock off before reaching into the chamber, and never defeat an interlock.
Should I buy, lease or take a baler on free loan?
Purchase gives you freedom to sell the material to whoever pays best. Free on loan against a supply agreement costs nothing upfront but ties your material up, so check whether the rate is indexed to a published price or set at the supplier's discretion.