There is a growing public awareness surrounding the need for individuals and businesses to be more environmentally responsible. As a result, green businesses are better liked and more successful. Going green can also be more cost effective as resources which would otherwise be discarded are recycled and reused. One such resource is paper and cardboard; over 12.5 million tonnes of cardboard and paper are consumed annually in the UK alone. Furthermore, recent changes to UK law have introduced a mandatory charge for plastic carrier bags, and so many companies are making the switch to paper-based bags. Cardboard balers are widely available to hire, and can help your business stay green by compacting waste cardboard into palletised loads, ready for transport to a recycling facility. What follows is a step-by-step guide to recycling cardboard using a baler.
1. Always wear suitable protective clothing – safety boots, gloves and glasses. Loose clothing or jewelry should be avoided as it could get caught in the machine.
2. Load the baler with four rolls of twine – usually located at the front or the back of the machine. Ensure each roll can turn freely and feed the twine into the machine through the openings below each roll.
3. Open the machine from the front and pull the four lengths of twine through their respective channels on the back wall of the baler. Clip the twine into the foam at the bottom of the channels. Tie a loop in each length and hook them over the pin at the front and bottom of the machine where each channel ends.
4. Once all four lengths are tied in place, load the baler with a piece of cardboard large enough to cover the four channels; this will ensure your bale is securely held together once complete. Close and seal the baler door.
5. Reopen the top half of the door and load cardboard into the machine until full; it is best to push the cardboard into each of the corners of the machine to give your bale an even distribution. Once full, close the top half of the door and press the button to begin compressing the cardboard. This is typically white and can usually be found on the right-hand side of the baler. Repeat this step until a second green button lights up, indicating that the cardboard is ready to be baled.
6. Open the baler door fully and using a long hook, pull the lengths of twine through their channels. Cut and tie each length to their other ends, hooked at the bottom of the machine; it must be tied as tightly as possible as this is what will hold your bale together.
7. Once tied, place a pallet in front of the machine with a large piece of cardboard on top of it to aid maneuvering the bale. Standing well clear of the front of the machine, press and hold the release button. Bales of cardboard can weigh up to 250kg and will cause serious harm if they hit you. The mechanism will lift and tip the bale onto the pallet.
8. You can now move the bale using a fork lift or pallet truck to be stored safely, ready for collection.
We hope that this step-by-step guide has been informative and useful. Cardboard balers can be a brilliant asset to any modern business making the push to become more green. Please remember that while very simple to operate, balers are heavy machinery and safety should always be the first consideration to avoid injury.
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