What Is a Mill Size Baler? 2023 Mill Size Baler Guide
Have you been wondering what a mill-size baler is? In this guide, we’re going to answer just that as well as provide you with all the information that you require to make an informed buying decision. Without further ado, let’s dive straight in.
What Is a Mill Size Baler?
Mill-size balers work in exactly the same way as any other baler – they employ hydraulic press plates to compress the recyclable materials into dense, compacted bales that are easier to store and transport. Balers labelled as ‘Mill size’ differ from regular balers only through the size of the bale that is produced – typically, for a mill size baler, this would mean bales weighing approximately 500kg.
Bales produced by smaller balers need to be re-baled by the recyclers before being sent to the mill. By producing bales which are already of the necessary size, there is less work involved for the recycling facility in collecting and dealing with the waste, and therefore they will pay you more for your bales.
At Greenbank, we stock several mill size balers, the most popular two being the B50 and B30W. These two balers produce bales of ‘mill size’ – these can be stacked two by three in a typical collection lorry, thus maximising its pay load and reducing the amount of necessary trips. See the below diagrams for an example of how this looks:
Let’s take a deeper look into these next, before we dive into some of the most commonly asked questions around mill size balers.
B50 Baler
One of our most popular vertical balers, the B50 is ideal for larger retail outlets and businesses that produce large amounts of recyclable waste. The B50 baler features a powerful press plate which exerts 50 tonnes of press force onto the material placed inside – whether that’s cardboard, paper or soft plastic. The materials inside are effectively held down by rows of barbs and are then removed by automated ejection in a slow and safe manner.
Operating the baler is as simple as it gets due to the easy-to-follow pictorial instructions printed onto the baler door – simply open the baler door, load it with your material of choice and press the start button. Once the baler is full, open the bottom door, tie the bale off with some baler strapping or metal baling wire and eject the bale.
A major benefit of the B50 baler is that it helps you reduce your energy consumption – unlike typical mill size balers that have a 7.5 kW motor, the B50 mill size baler features a 5.5 kW engine. Over time, this difference will help you make large savings on your energy bills.
This B50 baler also features BRA-IN intelligence – a monitoring system which allows you to collect data on your entire fleet of machines and makes baler maintenance easier as our engineers can access your baler remotely to alter the settings or instruct the on-site engineers on what to do.
B50 specifications:
Press force = 50 tonnes
Feed opening = WxH (mm) 1200 x 565
Bale size = WxDxH (mm) 1200 x 800 x 1100
Bale weight = Cardboard (kg) 400-500, Plastic foil (kg) 450-550
Waste types = Cardboard, plastic foil, paper
B30W Baler
The B30W is another popular mill size baler in our range, it operates in very much the same way as the B50 but offers a wider feed opening of 1525mm by 560mm. The baler’s dimensions are WxDxH 2075mm x 1275mm x 3280mm with the size of the bales being 1525mm x 800mm x 1100mm.
The B30W baler features rows of retainers inside its chamber that help to keep the materials down. Much like the B50 baler, it’s easy to operate and produces compact and dense bales every single time. Other benefits of the B30W include a fast cycle time of just 43 seconds, low levels of noise and a BRA-IN intelligence system.
B30W specifications:
Press force = 30 tonnes
Feed opening = WxH (mm) 1525 x 560
Bale size = WxDxH (mm) 1550 x 800 x 1100
Bale weight = Cardboard (kg) 400-500, Plastic foil (kg) 400-600
Waste types = Cardboard, plastic foil, paper
What Are The Benefits of Mill Size Balers?
Millsize balers have various advantages, they are:
- Effective space usage – not only will mill size balers help you compress large volumes of materials into dense bales, the balers themselves also don’t take up too much space. Since the power packs and control panels are both located on the side, as well as everything in the chamber being accessible from the front, the B50 baler only requires 2 sqm of floor space.
- Lower handling and transport costs – mill size bales are more efficient to transport and handle by the recycling facility which means that less trips are required to collect your bales. This results in lower handling and transportation costs.
- Increased revenue – since there’s less effort in handling the bales, recycling facilities will pay you more for bales that are of mill-size. This is due to the fact that they are ready to go into the mill and do not need to be combined with smaller bales to attain the necessary size.
- Lowered carbon footprint – by recycling your waste, you reduce the amount of it that goes to landfill. This reduces your business’s environmental impact and promotes sustainability.
- Improved safety – Millsize balers are easy and safe to use, any warehouse operative can operate them. An added safety benefit is that because they reduce the amount of waste laying around your facility, they can help to reduce the risk of accidents associated with handling, transporting and potentially slipping on waste materials.
What Materials Can Be Baled?
Mill Size balers are versatile machines that can be used for a variety of materials, these include:
- Cardboard – cardboard boxes, dry milk cartons or juice boxes.
- Paper – newspapers, magazines, office paper, leaflets, etc.
- Soft plastics – bottles, containers, cling film and wrappers.
How Much Space Is Required?
How much space is required for a mill-size baler depends on the specific model. Generally speaking, mill-size balers are larger than standard models so they require more space. For a better idea of how much space you’ll need, it’s best to refer to the spec sheet for each baler.
For example, the B50 baler will require around 2 sqm of space, whereas the B30W baler, being wider, will require around 2.7 sqm of space.
When considering where to place your baling machine, it’s also important to take into account the height of the baler, its clearance requirements for the feeding system and the space you’ll need for manoeuvring the bale and equipment around the baler. Taking all of this into account will ensure that your operatives are able to operate the baler safely and efficiently.
The Output of a Millsize Baler
The output of a baler is determined by various factors, including the capacity of the baler, the type of material that is being baled and the effectiveness of the baling process.
For example, see the baler outputs for the B50 and B30W balers below:
| B50 | B30W | |
| Cardboard | 400-500kg | 400-500kg |
| Plastic Foil | 450-550kg | 400-600kg |
Mill Size Baler Maintenance
Adequate maintenance is required to guarantee that a millsize baler operates efficiently and lasts for a good while. This includes routine inspections, cleaning, and lubrication, as well as quick fixes of any problems or malfunctions – at Greenbank, we offer baler servicing plans for all our balers.
How Much Does a Mill Size Baler Cost?
The cost of a mill size baler will vary greatly, depending on which model you opt for and whether you opt for any extras – be sure to take advantage of our free waste management audit which will not only make recommendations on how you can improve your waste management processes but also make a suggestion regarding which baler would best suit your business.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this mill size baler guide has answered all your questions and helped you to decide whether a mill size baler would be helpful for your business’s waste management needs. If you’re unsure about what causes poor waste management, we’d recommend heading over to our guide on the topic to see if your business if making any common errors and for more information on how to correct them.
If you’d like more information regarding the two aforementioned balers, or perhaps any other baler in our range, be sure to reach out to our friendly team who will be able to assist you.
