Robust solution for municipal recycling facilities

A municipal waste management authority in north-west Germany uses Craemer’s CB3 plastic bulk bins to collect electronic waste. The robust bulk bins serve as exchangeable collection containers and replace the wire mesh boxes with film liners used previously. For the municipal waste management authority, the changeover primarily means simpler handling, cleaner processes, less consumable material and reliable integration into the existing site logistics.

In the district of Emsland in north-west Germany, Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb Emsland is responsible for public recycling and waste disposal services. One of its key tasks is the collection of electronic waste (e-waste) at municipal recycling facilities. Residents can drop off small waste electrical appliances there and place them in enclosed collection containers. Inside each container is an exchangeable box, which is replaced with an empty box at regular intervals or when full.

In practice, the wire mesh containers previously used proved less than ideal for this process. To prevent smaller parts from falling through the mesh structure, plastic liners had to be inserted. This added extra handling work and generated unnecessary film waste.

Handling the previous solution was also more complex. Although the wire mesh containers could in principle be moved and stacked with forklifts, the plastic liners and the open mesh structure created additional effort in day-to-day operation. The liners had to be inserted, checked and removed. In addition, small parts could become caught in the mesh or fall through if the plastic liner was damaged.

With the CB3, this intermediate step is no longer required. The closed, structurally rigid bin reliably keeps the collected material inside, eliminating the need for a plastic liner. Full bins can then be picked up directly by forklift, exchanged for empty ones, transported and temporarily stored.  This makes changing the collection bins, in-house transport and temporary storage considerably easier.

Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb Emsland now uses around 150 CB3 bins at several recycling facilities in the district. Experience in daily use has been very positive. Serina Hofschlag from Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb Emsland confirms: “The stability and feel are excellent, and the product is very durable and robust.”

For Craemer, this application demonstrates that the CB3 offers benefits far beyond traditional industrial and recycling processes. “Municipal waste management operators are looking for solutions that work reliably and make day-to-day handling at recycling centers easier,” says Michael Winter, Head of Sales for Waste Management Systems at Craemer. “The CB3 combines robustness, stackability and ease of handling, and has proven to be highly effective at Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb Emsland for the collection of small waste electrical appliances.”

The CB3 offers benefits across the entire process chain. Staff no longer need to insert or remove liners. Less consumable material is required, the collection area stays cleaner and the bins can be easily integrated into existing logistics processes. Full CB3 bins can be picked up by forklift and exchanged for empty ones. If required, they can be stacked to save space.

“The CB3 thus supports key requirements of municipal waste management, such as cost-effective operation, durable equipment and efficient processes. Based on our experience so far, we would also recommend the bulk bins to other waste management companies,” concludes Serina Hofschlag.