Choosing the right baler is one of the most important decisions a recycling operation makes — and one of the most misunderstood.

When a baler is mismatched to the application, the consequences show up everywhere: excessive labor, safety risks, inconsistent bale weights, light-load chargebacks, and premature equipment wear. In many cases, these issues aren’t caused by poor operators or bad markets — they’re caused by the wrong equipment for the job.

Proper baler selection starts with understanding:

• Material type and behavior (OCC, PET, UBCs, mixed recyclables)
• Daily and hourly throughput
• Labor availability and workflow
• Space constraints and layout
• Downstream requirements from mills and buyers

A baler that fits the application reduces handling, improves safety, and produces more consistent, mill-ready bales. Over time, that translates directly into lower operating costs and higher net revenue.

At Black River Trading, we focus on application-first equipment selection because we’ve seen how costly the wrong choice can be over the life of a machine.