Industry & Production - Prairie State Group

Cutting waste handling costs and improving recycling rates

Chicago-based packaging producer, Prairie State Group, invested in a Bramidan B30 Wide baler to manage numerous waste types. As a result they reduced their waste bill significantly – and improved reuse and recycling.

Challenges

  • stop Requirements to document recycling efforts
  • stop Massive bill for waste collections
  • stop No overview of largest waste streams

Machines chosen

Vertical baler model B30 Wide

Filling opening: 1525 x 560 mm

Bale weight: 375-500 kg - cardboard

Benefits

  • done Smaller waste bill
  • done Lower total costs of operation
  • done Optimize recycling practices

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Cutting waste handling costs and improving recycling rates

To meet environmental and safety standards, production companies must create recycling programs, which aim to keep recyclable materials out of landfills. However, companies must also constantly focus on lowering their total costs of operation, including their waste management, to be competitive.

Prairie State Group, located just outside of Chicago, works towards achieving a cost-neutral waste management goal with a Bramidan B30 Wide baler.

Costs for waste pickups got out of hand

Before investing in a vertical baler, Prairie State Group used different containers to separate numerous waste types. Most of the materials are by-products from the production. Prairie State Group produces custom printed food packaging and labels, so waste includes cardboard, plastic shrink wrap, clear film, flexible packaging and cold seal material.

The containers were picked up by truck – but with 11,800 kilo waste picked up by truck every month, the company spent a lot more money than what was feasible on waste pick-ups.

Men filling plastic waste into wide chamber of Bramidan baler

Significantly reduced waste bill

The Executive Vice President of Prairie State Group, Dan Doherty, contacted Waste Diversion Business Advisor, Lydia Kuyawa, from Waste Management Recycle America for help with a solution to their waste situation.

After learning about Prairie State Group’s environmental business practices, Lydia suggested a baling solution from Bramidan. “Just by taking material and reconfiguring it into a type that is more manageable is saving,” says Lydia.

They began with a free trial of a Bramidan B30 Wide baler in their Franklin Park, Chicago, facility. Testing the baler on their different waste types, they were able to map out the amount of waste generated on site – and analyze the largest waste streams.

This helped them reduce their total waste handling bill by €3,060 in just three months.

40 pct. of waste is reused or recycled

With the Bramidan baler they are also able to optimize their recycling practices: “Now we can document that at least 40 pct. of our waste is either reused or recycled,” says Dan.

In a production facility, there is constant movement of waste. Lydia and Dan continue to monitor and analyze the outflow of material and the benefits of compacting recyclables.

“At the end of the day,” says Lydia, “they’re taking less out of pocket as opposed to before.”

We saved €3060 within the first three months and we can document that at least 40 pct. of our waste is either reused or recycled.

— Dan Doherty, Executive Vice President of Operations, Prairie State Group

Facts about:

Prairie State Group

Prairie State Group is a full-service printer and producer of packaging materials headquartered in Chicago. The company provides custom and flexible packaging solutions, ranging from laminated products such as stand-up pouches and bar wrappers to pressure sensitive labels across a varied market including food/beverage, household products, paint, personal care, and other private label applications.

Facts about:

Prairie State Group

Prairie State Group is a full-service printer and producer of packaging materials headquartered in Chicago. The company provides custom and flexible packaging solutions, ranging from laminated products such as stand-up pouches and bar wrappers to pressure sensitive labels across a varied market including food/beverage, household products, paint, personal care, and other private label applications.

If you have any questions, please contact us

phone +45 7517 3266
mail  sales@bramidan.com


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