Vertical Balers

A vertical baler presses cardboard, plastic and other recyclables into dense bales with a ram that moves straight down. That’s why it’s also called a downstroke baler. It stands upright, so it fits in back rooms and loading areas where floor space is tight.

A vertical baler presses material from the top down and takes up little floor space. It suits small to medium volumes in retail, hospitality and warehouses, and our heavy duty models can still make mill-size bales of up to 550kg.

A horizontal baler presses material from the side and suits large, continuous volumes, such as at council transfer stations and recycling facilities. See our horizontal balers for high-volume sites.

Here’s how to operate a vertical baler:

1. Open the door, put the waste into (open and laid flat for large boxes) the large feed opening and close the door.
2. Then press the button or pull the lever to push down the ram of the recycling baling machine, which will compress the load. (If you have a semi-automatic vertical baler, then the ram will return naturally to save time, if not you may need to move the lever again).
3. When the recycling baler is full, a ‘bale full’ signal should appear, letting workers know that the cardboard baler is full and they can leave and come back later to retrieve the bale or continue to load.

You can use vertical balers to compress a range of recyclable waste, such as:

• Cardboard
• Corrugated cardboard
• Paper
• PET plastics
• Cans
• Textiles
• Ferrous materials
• Non-ferrous materials
• Other plastic waste

It depends on what you’re baling and how much of it.

• Cardboard and plastic balers: small to medium volumes of cardboard, paper and soft plastics in retail outlets, offices and hospitality venues.
• Heavy duty balers: tougher, bulkier material such as PET plastics, rigid plastics, cans, tyres and car bumpers.
• Multi-chamber balers: two or more waste streams baled separately in one machine, so staff can keep loading while it runs.

For large, continuous volumes, or if you need uniform bales for distribution, a horizontal baler may suit you better. Read our guide on how to choose a baler, or contact us and we’ll recommend the right model.

Each cardboard baler weighs differently, depending on the baler model and type.

Our lightest cardboard baler weighs 140kg (WASTEPAC 40). Our heaviest cardboard baler weighs 1938kg (WASTEPAC 550HD).

Waste Initiatives’ heaviest multi-chamber industrial balers, which can also process cardboard, weighs 1400kg (WASTE PAC 200 Multi).

Vertical cardboard baler pricing starts in the thousands and goes up to five figures. It depends on the model, bale size and options you choose. We’ll give you a tailored quote, and our ROI calculator estimates your payback from lower collection costs. We also offer flexible finance and rental options to make a baler easier to afford.

Keep the baler and the area around it clean, and have it serviced regularly. Book preventative maintenance for your vertical baler, so a technician can inspect it before small issues turn into breakdowns. Most importantly, train every operator to use the machine safely and correctly.

Yes, they feature simple controls and automatic bale ejection for operator safety.

A vertical baler compresses loose cardboard or plastic into dense, manageable bales. This can reduce bin requirements and collection frequency, allow more material to leave in each collection, or qualify the business for free bale collection.

Most businesses should not base their investment on selling cardboard. Smaller generators may receive little or no commercial return for the material. The more reliable benefit generally comes from avoiding paid loose-cardboard collections or fitting more cardboard into each collection.