What Is a Vertical Baler?

Vertical Balers are machines that are commonly used in the recycling industry to form and press old cardboard into easily handled bricks, though they can also do the same for various other recyclables and waste materials. A vertical baler typically operates by compacting the materials with a powerful, vertically oriented ram. After the machine has been completely filled with cardboard, or other materials, the bale can be tied off either automatically or manually. The bales can then be taken to a recycling company, sold, or disposed of, depending on the specific materials that were compacted. Most vertical baler designs are smaller and less expensive than other machines, such as horizontal balers, that perform essentially the same function.

There are a number of different types of balers, all of which are designed to compact waste materials. These machines are similar to compactors, with one important difference. Unlike compactors, balers are designed to produce blocks, or bales, of material for easy handling. In order to accomplish that, balers either include automatic tie-off functionality, or are designed to allow an operator to slide baling wire underneath, and on top of, the compacted bale. Continuous feed horizontal balers often use automatic tie-offs, while the most common vertical baler designs require manual tying.

The main identifying feature of all vertical baler designs is the vertical orientation that these machines have. Unlike horizontal balers, which are quite large, and take up a lot of floor space, vertical balers tend to be compact and less expensive. They are much taller than they are wide, and they use vertically oriented hydraulic rams to compress cardboard and other types of recyclables and trash. Materials are typically placed through a door located on the front of a vertical baler, after which the hydraulic ram presses the materials against a plate located in the bottom of the machine.

Cardboard is the material most commonly associated with vertical balers, and businesses that deal with a large volume of corrugated boxes often use these machines. Other recyclable materials, such as paper, plastic wrap, and metal cans, can typically also be compacted within a vertical baler. These bales are typically easier to handle than loose recyclables, and in some cases they can even be sold to recycling companies. Businesses that generate a lot of non-recyclable waste materials sometimes use balers as well, since baled trash takes up less space and can also be easier to handle. Compacting trash into bales prior to disposing of it may also help save landfill space, though many landfills make use of onsite compactors.