Following news of its impending launch, Hull based social enterprise Enviromail wasted no time in ordering one of Riverside Waste Machinery’s new RWM HZ 50T horizontal balers. And just five months in, its investment is already reaping rewards.
The organisation, a not-for-profit enterprise providing a range of environmentally friendly commercial services including the collection and recycling of paper, card, cans, glass and plastics, employs local people who also train colleagues with physical and mental disabilities.
And the rewards, ultimately a healthier bottom line from increased production, come at a time that it is looking to optimise valuable profits for reinvestment into its Greener Outcomes project. This will fund work experience programmes and provide further opportunities for disadvantaged local residents.
Enviromail’s director, Pete Lemon said: “We work as a catalyst for various environmental initiatives in the Hull region and realise the importance of ensuring our waste management procedures are as efficient and user friendly as possible so we can support both our staff and the community.
“We decided to enlist the help of Riverside Waste Machinery who we knew to have a great reputation for sound but straight talking advice – and we got just that. They devised a whole solution for us which fit perfectly with our very specific needs, including adaptations to the machinery to accommodate staff with physical disabilities.”
The re-evaluation of Enviromail’s procedures began when their existing vertical baler became too small to handle the organisation’s increasing waste collections. With three vehicles on the road at any given time collecting a variety of waste materials from the public and commercial sectors, it became clear to Riverside’s managing director, Jonathan Oldfield that they needed a heavy duty machine which would speed up and increase their throughput. Enviromail were also experiencing problems in moving waste from their shredder to the baler and had been considering adding a conveyor to their existing set-up.
“The launch of our new RWM HZ 50T came just at the right time for Enviromail,” said Jonathan. “With its 50 tonne full stroke compaction force and bale ejection it is ideally suited to the waste materials being processed. We were also able to make bespoke modifications to the machine during manufacture such as variable tilt controls and lowering the panic button and cage lock mechanism for wheelchair users.
“By recommending a bin lift to feed the large open splayed hopper rather than a conveyor belt, we were also able to make best use of the factory’s floor space which has design limiting steel supports at 3m intervals along the length of the building. Additionally, it now takes just one operative to simultaneously shred and bale waste in a safe and controlled manner.”
Enviromail say that in just five months the new horizontal baler and reorganised waste processing system has resulted in a forty percent increase in paper production alone.
The HZ 50T’s variable bale setting has also enabled them to produce smaller bales if needed. This has been advantageous for the organisation when dealing with exporters who look for smaller bale sizes and to maximise the ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of lorry and container loading.
Pete concluded: “Riverside’s team have been there with impartial and invaluable advice at every step of the way for us – from the initial phone call right through to staff training and the supply of all our consumables.
“They have helped to revolutionise our systems which in turn has already enabled us to take on two more disadvantaged staff from a deprived area. Not only are we helping our local environment, we are helping to change lives. Who’d have thought investing in a new baler could have done that?”
