A Shropshire company has seen its waste management costs reduce by 50% since installing a waste cardboard baling machine at its warehouse just over six months ago.
Shrewsbury-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler Rowlands & Co (Shrewsbury) Ltd purchased the Agri-mac V75 from Agritel Ltd, who also supply industrial packaging materials and pallet wrappers to companies throughout the UK.
Established in 1894, Rowlands & Co has a long history and an excellent reputation for providing quality produce to catering companies, restaurants, private schools, independent and well-known medium-sized supermarkets and local stores. In 2007 the company expanded through acquisition and as a result its volume of waste packaging also increased.
Peter Rowlands, Director, explains: “Previously we piled all of our cardboard into skips, but after the acquisition we became busier so disposing of the cardboard in this manner became costly and time consuming. Agritel had supplied us with pallet wrap material for a number of years and, after recommendation, we decided to purchase a baler from them too. It was a smart move because we have reduced both the volume of cardboard waste and our disposal costs by 50%. The baler will have paid for itself within the first year and we are considering part-exchanging the current one for a double-chamber model which allows the production of cardboard and plastic bales in one machine.”
John Duffus, Managing Director at Agritel, said: “Agritel is developing a good track record in support and advice on recycling. Our aim is to provide alternatives to traditional waste disposal which is often more expensive, whether hiring skips or taking directly to landfill sites. The example of Rowlands highlights that by adopting recycling solutions businesses can be both environmentally friendly and save money!”
Pictured, from left: Peter Rowlands (Director, Rowlands & Co) and John Duffus (Managing Director, Agritel).
More about Rowlands & Co at www.rowlandsltd.co.uk. Click here for more about vertical balers.
