If you are not concerned about the environment, you will likely not pay attention to efficient waste management. But you would surely do it because when you know that it saves money. With the economy creating a lot of stress on businesses, it makes sense to save money in whichever way you can. Saving money is as good as earning revenue, and corporations and industries are increasingly using commercial trash compactors for waste disposal. Besides saving money by streamlining operations in waste handling, compactors ensure safe, efficient and environment-friendly waste disposal, which happens automatically. Also, read Industrial Compactors: Things You Should Know.
Let us now look at some of the benefits of using compactors.
Reduce the volume of waste for disposal
Despite the best efforts, reducing waste generation significantly is impossible because it depends on the manufacturing or business process. Improvements, if at all, are often marginal and do not help to reduce the waste volume. But more to come because you can work on the waste generated and compress it by using compactors to reduce its volume significantly. The compactor breaks down the waste and helps segregation from waste bins and dumpsters. This does away with the high cost of maintaining open trash bins that need frequent emptying. The process helps keep harmful insect and bug infestations on the collected trash, thereby creating a healthy environment.
Save time and money
Compaction of garbage and waste materials allows more efficient use of the garbage collection unit to store more waste. The compactor enables the accumulation of larger volumes of garbage without stressing the available space. This saves the time spent on emptying the container frequently, and reduced haulage translates into cost-saving. Fewer trips to landfills mean you pay less money, which adds to the business bottom line.
Green initiative
With the clamour about saving the environment growing louder and louder every day and the laws getting stricter, industries, businesses, commercial establishments, and individuals are all trying to take more responsibility for maintaining a cleaner environment. This has pushed the use of compactors that ensures safe and healthy waste disposal methods. A commercial trash compactor effectively manages waste accumulation that would otherwise remain exposed and cause a nuisance. Preventing waste materials from spreading around creates a healthy environment that allows people to breathe fresh air. A variety of compactors are available that businesses and industries can choose according to their needs.
Facilitate recycling and composting
You must be careful about the items you send to the compactor because most compactors handle dry waste only, and there are certain items prohibited from putting into compactors which we will discuss later. It is essential to segregate the waste material before sending it to the compactor so that it is possible to separate the recyclable items and even green items to ensure that only those items that are suitable for going to landfills find a place in the compactor. Segregating the items paves the way for easy composting of the materials that go to landfill.
Reduced liability, more safety
The use of compactors reduces the risks arising from uncontrolled waste management, which, in turn, reduces the liability of business owners. This is especially applicable to restaurant owners who face the risk of people scavenging the dumpsters in search of food and hurting themselves in the process. Compactors are safe because they have a locking mechanism that prevents people from climbing on them. In the same way, it prevents animals from doing the same and prevents the chances of creating any mess. The premises remain clean without giving any extra effort.
Less stress on landfills
As the economy progresses, it leads to more waste generation from industries and businesses that experience growth. It means that the volume of waste materials going to landfills also decreases, reducing the stress on the available landfill area, which is always much less than the demand. Managing the increasing volume of waste becomes easy by using compactors that bring down high volumes into much smaller and manageable proportions.
Know the prohibited items
While all the advantages of using a compactor might encourage people to put everything into it, this is impossible because you cannot send all and sundry waste materials to the compactor. You must selectively send materials to the compactor by knowing what you can and cannot ship. Below is a list of prohibited items that should not go into compactors.
Flammable/Explosive materials
No flammable or explosive materials or substances should ever go into the compactor. If there is an explosion or fire, it can cause extensive damage to property and lives and can even kill people. Shotgun shells, aerosol spray cans, fireworks, cartridges for firearms, etc., are some items that can explode under pressure and do not have any place in compactors. Even paint, thinner paint cans, oils, oil-saturated rags, gasoline, and other explosive or flammable fluids are not fit for compactors.
Liquids
Most compactors can withstand liquids, but you must only send liquid material to them for practical purposes if the equipment is specially designed. Liquid trash tends to develop a foul odour inside the compactor, and cleaning the large equipment can be pretty complicated. Moreover, the liquid can flow to the equipment's internal parts and damage them.
Toxic waste
Toxic waste should never go into the compactor but instead, follow some particular recycling method for its effective disposal. If sent to the compactor, poisonous waste will contaminate the entire trash and render it unsuitable for disposal or recycling. Batteries contain toxic materials that should never go into compactors.
Although glass and wood are not harmful, these are not suitable for compressing and hence do not have any place in compactors.
