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Over 5 billion parcel shipments went out in the UK during 2020. If the figure seems high, it is: the UK saw a 33% increase in shipments that year. However, there was something else businesses need to learn as we progress into 2022.

Our cardboard resources aren’t infinite. The same increase in parcels in 2020 directly contributed to a shortage of the paper needed to make cardboard in 2021. And it had and can continue to have a huge impact on all businesses, from the retail industry to hospitality. Yet, dry cardboard is very easily recycled.

Cardboard recycling is necessary for ensuring the UK has the paper products it needs for business as usual, but it’s also a way to build more sustainable business practices more generally. Here are three ways cardboard balers can help you streamline your business operations.

Use Valuable Floor Space for Inventory or Workspace Optimisation

How much of your premises do you dedicate to storage waste and recycling? And how much more room have you had to dedicate to those spaces as your business has grown?

Cardboard and packaging waste can take over an entire room, if you let it. Yet, every square foot is worth something to your business. So, a cardboard baler’s ability to reduce the volume of your cardboard waste by 10:1 or 5:1 could make a significant difference in your bottom line.

Getting back valuable floor space can open up huge opportunities. For running convenience stores or petrol stations with limited footprints, you can use that space to store additional inventory or streamline processes in the workspace. For hospitality businesses like hotels and guest houses and restaurants, it may even be space you can commercialise when it’s time to expand.

However you use it, you pay for every square inch, so don’t let waste continue to dominate it.

Save on Labour Costs and Vendor Charges

How much does your cardboard waste really cost your business? Those expenses go beyond ever-increasing landfill taxes. Breaking down cardboard by hand can take hours out of your employees’ weeks, particularly for the retail industry in peak season.

Cardboard balers take that hour at the end of a shift and give it back to the business by making cardboard breakdown painless.

Even better, baled cardboard is easier to move, which has knock on effects for your vendors. When you bale your cardboard, you help your waste management company because:

• You require fewer bins or skips to store your recycling waste
• Your vendor needs to make fewer trips to collect your waste, saving on unnecessary vehicle movements and fuel
• Your vendor can squeeze more stops into their route, making their work more cost-effective and creating savings for everyone

Sell Cardboard Bales for Extra Money

Rather than sending cardboard to the landfill and paying more in gate fees, fuel surcharges, and skip hire fees, you have the option to sell redundant cardboard. Cardboard reuse companies will collect your cardboard and may buy it back from you, but you make the most of the opportunity if you provide it in the right condition.

To set yourself up for success, you need to bale your cardboard. You get the best prices when your vendor can come and collect a high volume of used cardboard. When you bale it, you minimise the storage space needed and your vendor is able to provide you with an optimum price. You’ll also get access to facilities that require cardboard bales as a means to enter and who offer better rates.

Are you looking for a partner in waste recycling management? Trusted by top names in the retail industry, like JYSK and Builder Depot, LSM UK works with small to medium businesses across the UK to achieve up to 90% savings on waste costs through baling. Get in touch to learn about our full range of recycling balers and flexible rental options.