Vertical or Horizontal Commercial Balers: Which Should You Choose?

Balers help pack large quantities of trash and recyclable material into condensed packages for more accessible storage and cargo. They also allow for increased commodity values by maximizing the value of each bale. Typically, balers crush recyclable materials such as cardboard, paper, plastics, and metals. Balers allow for reduced waste volume, allowing you to pack more waste into less space. Additional baler advantages include:

• Waste is neatly compressed and bundled
• Keeps work areas clean and free of debris
• Reduces landfill waste
• Allows certain wastes to be sold for profit

Industrial balers come in various sizes to accommodate all material quantities. Before purchasing an industrial baler, it is crucial to understand your material quantity processing needs and not to overpay or underpay based on material processing requirements. Choosing the right system can help your company ship its waste and recycling more economically and reduce the need for pickup.

Whether you are in the market for a new or used vertical or horizontal baler, several considerations should be broached before making a final purchase. Understanding the types and volumes of materials that will be processed assists in determining which baler style is suitable for your project needs.

For example, horizontal balers are most used by more extensive processing facilities because of the high daily volume of material moving through the facility. Choosing a particular baler model, such as single-ram versus two-ram, is primarily based on the specific mix of material received and how it will be most efficiently processed.

Vertical balers utilize a vertical downward force to compress waste into easy-to-manage cubes, allowing the waste to be easily stored and shipped. Vertical balers are often used by restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, and other facilities to quickly process large amounts of cardboard, plastics, foam, and other recyclables. Additional vertical baler benefits include:

• Processes various materials
• Smaller footprint
• Cost less than horizontal balers
• Several size options
• Easily loadable
• Ideal for small businesses

Horizontal balers represent the larger of the two baler types, offering multiple configurations that include closed-end balers, auto tie balers, and wide-mouth balers to meet your unique waste disposal needs. A horizontal baler’s functions are directly tied to the kind of horizontal baler selected.

Horizontal balers are well-suited for factories, manufacturing, recycling centers, and other large-scale operations. They are also the perfect solution when multiple businesses, like shopping malls, share them. Additional horizontal baler benefits include:

• Higher volume capacity
• Faster service
• Large consistent bale production
• Processes materials that vertical balers cannot
• It can be integrated with other system accessories, such as conveyor belts, shredders, and air systems