OCC leads the paper baling parade

Paper manufacturers and recyclers are keenly aware the overall paper industry landscape has changed dramatically in the 21st century compared with the decades leading up to it. Specifically, while much larger amounts paperboard packaging are being consumed and recycled, the production and consumption of printing and writing (P&W) grades in nations with developed economies has declined the past two decades.

For recyclers, this has manifested itself in the steady growth of old corrugated containers (OCC) and other packaging grades. The same set of recyclers often has watched the intake of old newspapers (ONP), sorted office paper (SOP) and similar grades shrivel year by year.

Reacting to all this are scrap paper baling equipment suppliers. When recycling plant owners change their operations and collection targets, often it necessitates changes or adjustments to the equipment they operate.

"It's very clear that OCC's share of the materials being baled has increased and has been increasing for a while now," says Stefan Ekström, CEO of Sweden-based baler maker Presona AB.

DJ VanDeusen, president of the Recycling & Waste Equipment Division of Upland, Indiana-based Avis Industrial Corp., sees the same undeniable trend. (Avis’ baler brands include Harris, American Baler and International Baler.)

"The need to bale OCC has definitely increased over the past five years as the growth in online shopping has taken off and [we] saw a dramatic surge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the change in individuals’ buying habits," VanDeusen says.

Neither says, however, that a large majority of their customers do not necessarily want balers that are geared to bale OCC exclusively. Despite the OCC boom, "There is also a general increase in the amount of material that is recycled and among our customers, for example, we can also see an increase in the amount of plastic being baled," Ekström says.

VanDeusen, while noting Harris and other brands have balers preferred by OCC handlers, says multimaterial baling requests remain widespread. "The marketing aspect [for Avis brands] is really focused on the right machine for the job based on [the] material to be baled and the volume to be baled," he says. "We are seeing more and more customers look to multiple baler solutions to most effectively bale the material they are so diligently recovering."

"Since our balers can bale many different materials there has been no change in what style of baler customers ask for or what we recommend, but we have seen an increased interest in balers with high capacity, which is to be expected since the total amount of materials being baled is increasing," Ekström adds.

VanDeusen says providing balers that efficiently compress OCC precedes the decline in P&W grade generation.

"OCC has always been a staple grade for the American Baler auto-tie and Harris two-ram balers," he says.

"The shift to OCC and other packaging grades from the printing and writing grades has been anticipated for some time. The change has more been with where the OCC is needing to be baled as more volume has moved to the residential stream from the commercial stream."

Both recycling equipment executives say increases in OCC have joined energy efficiency as foremost on the minds of recycling plant operators.

"The high energy prices, especially in Europe, has made us adjust our marketing somewhat since our prepress technology is a lot more energy-efficient than many other balers on the market," Ekström says.

"The most recent design changes have been primarily related to efficiency in energy consumption, bale consistency, and ease of maintenance," VanDeusen adds.