The consumer cooperative U-Corp in Japan collects recyclables from its members – stores and delivery centers – and operates recycling centers, where the materials are meticulously sorted in pure fractions. U-Corp believes in the value of everyone’s participation and many people with disabilities work at the recycling centers and are indispensable in ensuring high-quality recyclables.
The multi-chamber Orwak baler 5070-HDC facilitates the work and Orwak’s strong emphasis on product safety was one of U-Corps main reasons for choosing this brand and model. U-Corp is dedicated to employing people with disabilities and the workers must be safe and feel confident using the machine.
Based on the philosophy of non-profit and inclusion
The consumer cooperative U-Corp in Japan was established in 2013 with the aim to contribute to a better life through connections between people without profit-making and to acknowledge the diverse lifestyles of today and the value of “everyone’s participation”.
Indispensable in ensuring high-quality recyclables
At U-Corp, after delivering products to members; stores and delivery centers, the return transports are used to collect paper, plastic bags, plastic trays, plastic bottles, and other recyclables at a distribution center. The recyclables are later sold to recycling companies and brought back into the recycling loop. For a higher value of the recyclables, detailed sorting and removal of unwanted objects such as stickers, vinyl straps etc. is essential.
Recycling centers play a major role in this work, where many people with disabilities are employed and they are indispensable in helping contractors collect high-quality recyclables.
The baler deals with deliveries from 33 centers
At the Co-op Recycling Center, where all U-Corps recycling activities are conducted, Orwak Japan introduced the multi-chamber baler 5070-HDC for sorting and compacting recyclables at source. The machine is used actively every day and deals with different kinds of paper and plastic. For instance, 600-700 kg of plastic bags are delivered daily to the recycling center from 33 delivery centers in the region.
Thanks to the dual chamber design, while putting pressure on voluminous plastic bags in one chamber, the worker can load more material in the other chamber. It is convenient and the baler daily produces 11-13 bales, which are shipped to a recycling factory.
Emphasis on separation accuracy and operator safety
The profit from the sales exceeds transportation costs. Although operational efficiency is lower compared to bigger balers or semi-automated compaction systems, the accuracy of detecting foreign objects increases as small volumes are dropped into the chamber. The baler is in line with the policy of the recycling centers to focus on separation accuracy.
Orwak’s strong emphasis on product safety is one of the main reasons why U-Corp, who are committed to employing people with disabilities, chose this particular baler. Operator safety and low risk of any accidents is crucial and makes the workers feel confident using the machine.
“We want to bring something good to everyone”
U-Corp is also working to reduce CO2 emissions, and as mentioned previously, they are efficient in collecting recyclables by using return transport. In addition, thanks to the volume reduction, the compacted and baled recyclables optimize logistics on their way to recycling.
Furthermore, U-Corp is taking sustainable initiatives that will contribute to a safe society and environment for everyone and is engaged in activities such as waste reduction, local production for local consumption, and food banks:
“We aim to bring something good to everyone, not only union members, but also employees, contractors, production and business partners, and the entire local community.”