Waste handling in manufacturing
This page explores how optimised waste handling can improve workflow, reduce risk and costs, and enhance overall efficiency in the production sector.
Manufacturing trash Solutions
Optimize your production environment by reducing costs, saving space, and boost efficiency with Mil-tek’s specialized balers and compactors, designed specifically for manufacturing needs.
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✅ Discover our cardboard, plastic, polystyrene, and other models → See all balers and compactors
Packaging Trash: The Invisible cost in Your Factory
In manufacturing, packaging waste such as cardboard, plastic film, and EPS (expanded polystyrene) accumulates quickly. When it’s not compacted directly at the source, it disrupts production flow, requires excessive handling, and increases operational costs.
📌 Quick fact:
The cost of handling waste can be up to 10 times higher than the cost of disposal!
How manufacturers can reduce trash
Lean principles have long been a foundational element of modern manufacturing. By emphasizing efficiency, flow, and continuous improvement, Lean enables companies to remain competitive while producing high-quality results with minimal trash. In Lean methodology, trash takes many forms—not only lost time or excess production, but also the physical by-products generated through day-to-day operations.
Taking a Lean approach to trash management means viewing it as an integral part of your value stream, not just a secondary concern. Utilizing tools like balers, compactors, and strategically placed trash-handling equipment can reduce floor clutter, limit unnecessary movement, and help maintain a cleaner, more organized production space.
Practical steps to implement this approach:
- Conduct regular trash audits
- Define clear trash reduction targets
- Assign ownership and accountability
- Train employees in trash management best practices
- Install trash-reducing equipment in high-impact areas
Trash management solutions for manufacturers
Schedule a free trash audit with our team to identify the best-fit solution for your facility.
Or, explore our baler systems designed to handle the most common types of manufacturing trash below.
Cardboard trash in production
Cardboard trash disrupts manufacturing efficiency. Mil-tek balers—from the compact A305 to the high-capacity E819—help eliminate clutter, streamline handling, and reclaim valuable floor space.
View all cardboard balers
or browse tailored solutions by industry below:
A305 Vertical Baler
Usage:
Cardboard & Plastic
Power:
Pneumatic, 8818 lbs pressing force
Key Attributes:
- • Up to 385 lbs bales
- • 90 % compaction
- • 9.15 sq. ft. footprint
- • Automated bale-out
A406 Vertical Baler
Usage:
Cardboard & Plastic
Power:
Pneumatic, 17636 lbs pressing force
Key Attributes:
- • Up to 496 lbs bales
- • 90 % compaction
- • 10.76 sq. ft. footprint
- • Adjustable bale size
A509 Vertical Baler
Usage:
Cardboard & Plastic
Power:
Pneumatic, 17636 pressing force
Key Attributes:
- • Up to 661 lbs bales
- • 90 % compaction
- • 16.15 sq. ft. footprint
- • Adjustable bale size
Plastic trash in production
Soft plastic waste like stretch film, wrap, and bags—is a daily challenge in manufacturing. Mil-tek offers high-performance balers specifically designed for soft plastic, capable of handling everyday volumes and reducing trash size by up to 90%.
View all plastic balers
or explore tailored solutions by industry below:
Polystyrene trash in production
For protective packaging in manufacturing Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is commonly used but it quickly consumes space when discarded. Mil-tek’s EPS1000 and larger EPS2000 compactors transform bulky EPS trash into dense, stackable blocks, significantly reducing storage requirements and disposal costs.
EPS2000 Compactor – Polystyrene trash management
The EPS2000 Compactor is an efficient solution for managing polystyrene trash, designed to meet high safety and performance standards with its UL certification. Powered by electricity (16 A – 3 phase – 460-480 V), it is capable of reducing the volume of expanded polystyrene by up to 40:1. The machine has a capacity of up to 154 lbs per hour and produces dense, high-quality blocks with a weight of up to 18 lbs. These compacted blocks are easy to handle, store, and transport—and can even be sold to recyclers, offering both environmental and economic benefits.
Learn more about our EPS2000 Compactor here.
Food production trash
In hygiene-sensitive food production environments, trash must be managed safely and cleanly. Mil-tek’s stainless steel, oil-free balers—including the 2205S and 2306S—are designed to compact cardboard and plastic without compromising sanitation standards.
View industry-specific recommendations below:
Baling your manufacturing trash transforms it into compact, stackable, and recyclable bales—helping you save space, reduce handling time, and cut transportation costs.
Let’s help you design your trash solution
Schedule a free on-site survey and uncover smarter, more efficient trash solutions tailored to your manufacturing facility.
We help you extend lean practices beyond the production line
While Lean methodology is often well established on the production floor, trash handling is frequently overlooked—remaining disconnected from the continuous improvement mindset.
By integrating balers and compacting trash directly at the source, you can:
- Avoid “trash walking” and double-handling
- Keep doors closed to reduce airborne contamination
- Shorten disposal time and optimize staff hours
- Increase productivity and enhance operational efficiency
- Minimize forklift traffic and lower the risk of manual transport injuries
TIP!
Minimize dust build-up in rip-and-tip areas with our dust extraction solution – specially designed to fit directly onto your baler.
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manage trash more efficiently.
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