Photos provided by: Interzero Slovenia
The successful drugstore chain dm manages more than 100 stores in Slovenia. Large quantities of packaging waste accumulate in the stores almost every day and the main part being recyclables – as many products are delivered in cardboard boxes or are wrapped in plastic film.
Different packaging materials, one solution
For waste management, dm is working with the circular economy consultant and service provider Interzero, who is also the Orwak distributor in Slovenia. Interzero presented the concept of compacting secondary raw materials and dm introduced the first balers in their stores. In the last five years, dm has invested further in sustainable business and installed 44 Orwak balers in almost half of its branches and thereby establishing a system for compacting materials for recycling.
The right application for the waste volume
dm selected the balers based on an analysis of the amount of waste and the stores’ surface area. One of the selected baler models is the COMPACT 3120, a member of Orwak’s range of smaller balers, and it is perfect for compacting cardboard and plastic foil bales up to 100 kg.
A good feature, and quite unusual for its size and capacity, is that the 3120 runs on single phase power and that provides more placement options in a store. The bale ejection is automatic when the operator simply pushes two buttons and the bales practically fit on a euro pallet.
For larger stores with more waste volume, the Orwak baler POWER 3420 compact bulky boxes effortlessly and with a significantly reduced risk of staff injuries.
The balers are appreciated in the stores as they make the work more efficient, contribute to optimizing the floor space, keep the storage areas clean and tidy, the employees using the baler safe and the materials ready for the next step in the recycling chain.
Long-term business relationship across the region
dm cooperates with Interzero and uses Orwak’s compaction solutions for sustainable waste management across the entire Adria region – in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Klemen Humer, technical specialist at Interzero Slovenia, commented: “We are pleased that our Orwak balers are so well received by dm and that we are thus contributing to the sustainable use of resources. We thank dm for their trust and look forward to new projects and the development of solutions in the field of circular economy.”
Baling brings efficiency and more sustainable waste management
The packaging material can be easily compacted directly at the source in the store. At the push of a button, the cardboard boxes and plastic film are compacted and the dense bales are then ready to be collected by the logistics partner.
One baler saves the use of around five large waste containers, which means: less CO2 emissions due to less waste transport. In addition, the balers save a lot of time and manual labor, as cardboard boxes are no longer folded or cut by hand.