FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY BUY A WASTE BALER?
A. A Baler is the best method for collecting material to be recycled. Recycling centres prefer material to be baled for easy handling. Most recyclers will give you a better price for your waste material baled than loose.The baling of waste material has become popular in recent years due to the ever increasing price of landfill in most first world countries. Other reasons for buying a baler include: saving storage space, providing a safer and more hygienic area and helping the environment.

I THINK I AM LOOKING FOR A WASTE BALER BUT HAVE HEARD THIS MACHINE BEING CALLED
SOMETHING ELSE?
A. There are many terms, the following are the most popular: Waste Baler, Baling Press, Vertical Baler, Horizontal Baler, Down Stroke Baler etc.

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH BALER IS BEST SUITED TO MY APPLICATION?
A. It is best to contact your local MACFAB distributor to complete a waste audit; they will measure outputs and types of waste generated and offer the best baler / machinery for the task.

HOW DO I INSURE MY BALER IS SAFE TO USE?
A. By making sure everyone operating the baler understands and follows the guidelines given in the manual supplied.If the manual is lost or damaged please contact your local distributor or ask for a copy at sales@MACFAB.com.

MY BALER IS NOT WORKING WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?
A. You should contact the distributor that sold the baler to you. If you have lost the distributor details please contact us with your baler's serial code (on serial plate) and we will give you the required contact details.

WHAT IS A MILL SIZE /EXPORT SIZE BALE?
A. All collected recycling material is transferred in bulk to paper mills or exported to other countries such as china to be recycled. In most cases bales are loaded into 20’/40’ containers. MACFAB 450, 550 vertical baler and MACFAB HZ500 horizontal baler will produce a mill size bale that uses the maximum amount of space and increases the payload of each container. Collected bales which are not export / mill size have to be broken down and re-baled though either of the above balers before they are loaded into a container.

WHEN SHOULD I BUY A HORIZONTAL BALER?
A. A horizontal baler should be considered when paper or cardboard quantities exceed over 150 tons in a month. This is only a rough indicator and it would be best to contact us or one of our distributors to audit your waste disposal needs.

IS PLASTIC BANDING OR STEEL WIRE BEST FOR TYING BALES?
A. This does depend on the size and type of balers you wish to use the ties on.
- On small balers plastic banding is most common.
- On mill size balers both plastic banding and steel wire are used.
- On horizontal balers steel wire is most common.
Plastic banding can be considered the cleaner and safer option of the two materials. In the case of breaking bales in paper mills some recyclers prefer steel wire as it is more easily collected than plastic banding. On the basis of cost plastic banding is better value than steel wire. You should consult your MACFAB distributor for the best option for your baler as there are different strengths needed for different types of waste material.

CAN I USE MY MACFAB BALERS OUTSIDE?
A. While all of MACFAB waste / recycling equipment are suitable for outdoor operation; it is recommended that the machine is located indoors or in a covered area. Doing so will increase the working life of the machine.

CAN I BALE SHREDDED PAPER?
A. This will depend on the way the paper is shredded, if paper is strip shredded then it can be baled but confetti like shredded paper cannot be baled.

WHY IS BALING PET BOTTLES BETTER THAN SHREDDING THEM?
A. Plastic bottles need to be screened and sorted before they can be recycled. When shredded bottles are sent to recycling plants there is an issue that there are contaminated plastics mixed in the shredded material and no way to sort this material if shredded. Our PET Bottle Press is perfect for baling plastic bottles.

SHOULD CAPS BE REMOVED FROM PET BOTTLES?
A. Caps and rings are not contaminates and are not an issue for plastics recyclers. Taking caps off PET bottles will help the baler compaction process but is not a necessary activity. Our PET Bottle Press is perfect for baling plastic PET Bottles with lids / caps still on the bottles as it has a unique piercing mechanism which eliminates the need to remove the lids before baling.

DO I HAVE TO TAKE SELLOTAPE OFF CARDBOARD IN ORDER TO RECYCLE THEM?
A. In most cases recyclers will not mind a small amount of sellotape contamination, but larger amounts in bales will be rejected.

CAN I MIX CARDBOARD AND PAPER INTO THE SAME BALE?
A. This will depend on the size of your bale and who is collecting it. Mill size bales in most cases cannot be mixed, though smaller bales will have to be re-baled and some recyclers may sort the two materials at this stage and thus offer this service.

CAN I USE A MACFAB BALER TO BALE CLOTHING?
A. All of our balers can bale clothing but our small balers are most popular for this process.The reason for this is the size of the bale suits the handling of clothing.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PNEUMATIC AND HYDRAULIC BALING PRESS?
A. Pneumatic balers are air operated by a compressor and air operated cylinders. Hydraulic balers are operated through a pump and electric motor using hydraulic cylinders.Most manufacturers including MACFAB offer the hydraulic baler option.

WHAT POWER SUPPLY DO I NEED IF I INSTALL A BALER?
A. In Europe the MACFAB Range from the MACFAB40 to the MACFAB250 will need a normal single phase connection. From the 450 to the hz500 a three phase connection will be needed. For a more technical / detailed description of baler electrical requirements please contact us or one of our distributors.

DO I HAVE TO TAKE LABELS OFF PLASTIC FILM FOR THEM TO BE RECYCLED?
A. No, these can be processed by the recycler, attached to the plastic film.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WASTE COMPACTOR AND A BALER?
A. Waste compactors are used compress a large amount of mixed waste into a contained area to be picked up and collected by your waste collector. This process means that waste does not have to be sorted by the business but is a more expressive option of recycling; also there is a higher chance of contaminating materials such as cardboard or plastic making them unrecyclable. Balers are used by a business to take valuable material out of their waste stream and sort them into bales for collection; this takes down the cost of waste disposal and makes your material easier to recycle and has a lower carbon footprint.

CAN I CLEAN MY BALER WITH A POWER WASHER?
A. We recommend that you only power wash the inside chamber of your baler.