Another success story shared by Marco Villani, the Orwak representative in Costa Rica! This one is about how the high capacity Orwak baler Power 3820 masters all the recyclables collected in a municipality and turns the cardboard into compact bales ready for recycling.
The Costa Rican municipality Palmares located in the Central Valley 38 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city Alajulea has about 39 000 residents, whereof 3600-4000 in the urban center. In line with its environmental commitment, the municipality wants to promote waste separation and contribute to a sustainable recycling solution by investing in the efficient cardboard baler Power 3820.
In just 3 business days, the Municipality of Palmares has collected and compacted 8 bales of cardboard, each weighing an average of 460 kg, for a total of 3 680 kg of recycled material. The officials are happy with the quality and density of the bales and pleasantly surprised by the results.
Projections based on this initial rate
- Average volumes daily: approximately 1.2 tons of recycled cardboard
- Monthly: (22 business days) around 27 tons resulting in approximately 324 tons annually.
Estimated Carbon Footprint Reduction
Recycling cardboard avoids the production of virgin material and significantly reduces emissions. Using conservative environmental factors (approx. 0.5 to 1 kg of CO₂ equivalent saved per kg of cardboard recycled):
CO₂ emissions avoided:
- Monthly: between 13.5 and 27 tons
- Annual: between 162 and 324 tons
This represents an environmental contribution equivalent to the positive impact of planting hundreds of trees or taking dozens of vehicles off the road for a year.
We acknowledge the officials of the Municipality of Palmares for their leadership and vision, and all the residents who actively participate by separating their waste. The incorporation of technology like the Orwak Power 3820 increases the efficiency of the process and maximizes the environmental benefit.
This sets a good example and proves that a vertical baler this size and capacity very well can manage the recycling streams from a small municipality and promote a responsible recycling culture that benefits the community.
Image source: Marco Villani, Grupo Zoe