Plastic Balers

Plastic balers work by feeding material into the chamber and compacting it repeatedly until a bale is formed, then tied using plastic strapping or baler wire before being removed.

Different plastics compact in different ways. Softer materials such as film and wrap compress more easily than rigid plastics, which affects bale size, weight and overall throughput.

Plastic balers are available in a few different setups, depending on how plastic is handled on site.

On smaller sites, vertical balers are often used where plastic is loaded by hand as it’s removed from deliveries or packaging. Where plastic needs to be baled alongside cardboard or other recyclables, multi chamber balers are used to keep materials separate without needing multiple machines. Multi chamber balers are often used where plastic and cardboard need to be baled separately without installing multiple machines.

Sites dealing with higher volumes usually rely on horizontal balers, where plastic is fed more regularly using bins, tippers or mechanical handling equipment. In larger operations, fully automatic balers are installed and fed directly by conveyor as part of a wider waste handling setup.

All plastic balers we supply meet relevant UK and CE safety requirements.

Plastic Waste Handling

Plastic balers are typically used for plastic waste generated once packaging is removed from deliveries or products. This usually includes film and shrink wrap, pallet wrap and other flexible plastics, along with certain rigid packaging depending on the baler in use.

Once baled, plastic can be stacked on pallets or kept in a holding area until it’s collected. Keeping plastic contained like this helps stop it spreading around work areas and makes day-to-day recycling far easier to manage.

Common Plastic Types Baled

Most of the plastic fed into balers comes from packaging that’s stripped away during deliveries, packing or production, rather than from finished products themselves.

The most frequently baled materials include:

• LDPE – such as stretch wrap, shrink wrap, pallet wrap, film and liners

• HDPE – thicker plastics including containers, crates and rigid packaging

• PET – bottles and clear plastic packaging

• PP – strapping, woven sacks, bulk bags and certain rigid plastics

LDPE film accounts for the majority of plastic baled on site, but many machines are also suitable for HDPE, PET and PP where material is prepared correctly.

The type of plastic being handled affects how tightly it compacts, the finished bale size and overall throughput, which is why plastic type is always considered when specifying a baler. EPS packaging is usually handled separately using polystyrene compactors rather than balers.

Choosing a Plastic Baler

Selecting the right plastic baler depends on the type of plastic being handled, the volume produced and how material is fed into the machine.

Smaller vertical balers are often used where plastic builds up steadily during the day. Horizontal and fully automatic balers are more common on sites producing larger volumes or feeding plastic directly from production, packing or goods-in areas.

Where volumes increase or handling methods change, machines can be upgraded or replaced to suit new requirements.

If you’re unsure which plastic baler is suitable, we can review how plastic waste is generated and handled on site and advise accordingly.

Refurbished Plastic Balers

In addition to new equipment, we also supply refurbished plastic balers. Each refurbished baler is checked over, tested and brought back into proper working order before it leaves us.

Refurbished machines are usually chosen when keeping upfront costs sensible matters, but there’s no appetite to change how waste is handled on site or retrain staff on unfamiliar equipment.

Plastic balers are typically supplied with the baler wire, strapping and other consumables needed to suit the machine and the type of plastic being baled. All refurbished plastic balers supplied meet relevant UK and CE safety requirements.

We supply plastic balers to businesses across the UK and can advise on suitable machines based on material type, volume and site layout.