A new piece of equipment has made a world of difference at the Flin Flon Recycling Centre.
The addition – a second baler, used for compressing materials into packed cubes – has helped free up space in the centre despite its large size.
“It got here just before Christmas, and it was a three day installation,” said Deb Odegaard, administrator of the Flin Flon Recycling Centre.
“It’s wonderful. We bale up cardboard, shredded paper, we’re doing aluminum now because we can sell it for more money, and comingled.”
The baler uses a conveyor to bring materials into a hopper. Once a sensor in the machine determines the hopper is full, the material is compressed and the process is repeated.
Odegaard explained workers at the centre go through bags and remove garbage, glass and beer cans, and the rest of the material is tossed onto the conveyor.
“Everything else gets thrown into that hopper, and when the hopper gets full, it squishes it down and we start again. It’s a whole lot less handling because we used to have to store those bags and wait for the baler to be available,” said Odegaard of the original baler the centre purchased in 1996 with a grant from the City of Flin Flon.
“We’d get way backed up…Those trailers attached to our building, we had one of those full, front to back, stacked almost two high because the baler was needed just for cardboard.”
The new baler also serves as a contingency plan for the older model in case it breaks.
“It’s improved our efficiency and given us a backup plan, because if the other baler goes down, we can front feed this. It doesn’t have to go all through the conveyor. If the baler goes down, we’re doomed,” said Odegaard.
2018 has already been a busy and eventful year for the centre. It started out behind – the baler installation meant the centre was closed for three days during the Christmas rush. Illnesses had the centre short staffed and one staff member died early in the year. By the end of March, the centre had processed more material than the first three months of 2017.
Odegaard said she is considering running more awareness campaigns this year, including the Call and Ask campaign, which has been successful in the past.
“Right around the time that happened, people started calling. I love when people phone,” she said.
“They find something out, and they’ll go ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ve been doing it wrong.’ I always tell them, ‘Not a problem, don’t sweat it, you’re not the only one,’ but going forward, they have the information.”
The recycling center will host an open house on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm at its location at 9 Timber Ln.
The centre will also honour employees and community members at its upcoming annual general meeting on Monday, April 23 at 7 pm at Flin Flon City Hall. Memberships will be available at the meeting.
