Baling Shredded Paper: A Guide

Every year in the USA, over 68 million tons of waste paper are recovered and put to use again, achieving a recycling rate of close to 65%. A lot of businesses produce a lot of paper and the first two steps towards meeting this recycling rate are shredding and baling. A common waste disposal strategy nowadays is for businesses to call in mobile shredding companies to take care of their excess paper. From there, clever shredders can bale their own waste and take this to a recycling facility for processing into new paper.


Why bale?


Baled waste materials will generally fetch a higher price from recycling centers. If you have your own baler, this saves you having to pay somebody else to use theirs or selling your shredded paper at a lower rate. If you’re disposing of sensitive documents, baling your own shredded material can add an extra layer of security for your customers as well.


Which bale?


The two main types of balers on the market are vertical and horizontal. Vertical balers are fed from top to bottom. You place material into a hopper by hand before lowering the baling ram in order to compact the material into a cube. Horizontal balers use a hydraulic ram to smash shredded paper into a long rectangular bale. When you’ve crushed the paper into a dense and manageable bale, you feed wires through specially designed slots in the machine to tie it together.


Which wire?


Another distinction is between manual-tie and auto-tie balers. An auto-tie baler can speed up the loading process, allowing the entire contents of a shredding truck to be baled within the space of half an hour. Manual-tie balers will add a little time onto the shredding journey.


For any size bale, you should make sure it’s securely tied. For lightweight baling, plastic banding can be a better option. But if you’re looking to crush out the kind of dense and heavy bales that will bring you genuine competitive advantage, you should invest in some of our seriously strong steel wire.


Where can I buy a baler?


Second-hand baling equipment is freely available and can offer you some upfront savings compared to brand new machinery. Of course, any cost savings will disappear if your machine starts to malfunction. For this reason, it’s important to eschew the likes of eBay and buy from someone who knows about baling equipment. They’ll be better equipped to set you up with something that’s fit for purpose, help you make any necessary repairs and provide you with service and aftercare.


A brand new baler will have all the latest features to maximize safety and productivity. You’ll also probably be offered a comprehensive manufacturer’s guarantee if you buy direct. These things alone can make it an excellent long-term business investment.


Whichever pathway you choose for your business, make vendor relationship management a part of it. It’s so crucial to establish a rapport with a trustworthy vendor at the point of purchase so that you have a baseline of ongoing support. Having someone to troubleshoot problems as you progress should create stable foundations for long-term business growth and bountiful baling.


And if you ever need advice on wires, get in touch!

Baling wire products we offer

Baling Wire Direct sells the following high-quality baling wire products.