Geographic Challenges To Recycling
Panama, like many Central American countries, has experienced an increase in waste pollution during the past decade. But, much of this waste can be recycled when the trash is sorted by commodity and shipped to recycling centers. Easier said than done for sustainability-minded groups in more isolated rural areas. Whether its traveling through rainforests, mountains, or jungles, or removing waste from the oceans, the landscape and remoteness of this beautiful country present significant challenges to everyday recycling, That’s what makes this recycling success story in Panama that much more impressive!
The Recycling Success Story
Back in February of 2019, the Grupo de Reciclaje de Volcán (Volcano Recycling Group) at Fundación Tierras Altas Recicla gathered bags of recyclable waste, sorted them, and loaded them into trunks of cars or strapped them in pickup trucks to be delivered to a recycler 70 km (44 miles) away. Tierras Altas Recicla is dedicated to promoting recycling and good solid waste management. They handled a total of 8 tons in 2019.
A year later, in 2020, they filled a truckload every 6 weeks. By 2022, we made the same trip every two weeks, and handled 38 tons, sorted into some 15 categories of materials!
With this increase in volume and hauling frequency, it was obvious they needed a baling solution to help with space and hauling fees.
With funding assistance from the German Embassy in Panama, they worked with Harmony to get a M30HD Vertical Baler. The project scope also included bringing wiring from the inside of the building to the covered baler operational outside. To help even more, a local business sent their forklift over to put the compactor in place!
Harmony’s M30HD is a powerhouse of a small baler that leverages over 41,000 lbs. of ram force to make consistent dense bales of a wide variety of materials. With their M30HD, the Grupo de Reciclaje de Volcán bales PET, HDPE, cardboard, Tetrapak, and plastic bags. Each jumbo bag of recyclables can be densified down into one smaller 24″ x 30″ x ≤ 30″ bale weighing up to 240 lbs.
Watch this short video showing the story unfold for these Panama recyclers!
With this space savings, they can fill their truck up with bales to ship every two weeks. The materials alone pay for the transportation, even with a recent drop in Panama’s commodity prices!
Carla Black, a member of the recycling group exclaimed, “We are thrilled with the M30HD! We are not sure how we are going to handle all of this success in the future!”
“We are thrilled with the M30HD! We are not sure how we are going to handle all of this success in the future!”
-Carla Black, Member, Grupo de Reciclaje de Volcán
How Can Harmony Help?
Whether you are a recycler or a business owner, managing waste and recycling can present challenges. Harmony Enterprises manufactures the widest range of waste and recycling solutions for just about every market niche. Call us at (507) 886-6666 or Contact Us today to see how our M30HD or other recycling balers or trash compactors can help your business save time, space, labor, and money in your operations!
