PET briquettes - The handy way to handle rejected bottles

HOME ARCHIV 2002 08.11.2002 PET briquettes - The handy way to handle rejected bottles
 

It is not only in the recycling of post-consumer PET that questions are posed about the compaction and transportation of used bottles. Bottling plants also face the problem of what to do with product rejects, either filled or empty. The conventional way has been to compact them into bales of up to 50 kg or more, containing possible thousands of bottles. Strautmann of Melle in Germany propose a less bulky solution.

The conveyors move reject bottles to the briquette press!

No need to unload and load trucks at the collection and recycling depots, and there are no more unsightly and possibly unhygienic bales stored in the open.The fact that individually briquettes are relatively light also means that a briquette processing station can be set up in almost any convenient location – the problem of moving heavy bales doesn’t arise. By installing a briquette press in a separate compacting room in the bottling plant a drain can be installed to allow run-off of any residual fluids, and hence not compromise the hygiene of the bottling line. The compacted bottles can be stored in a transport skip with just one open top surface.

The user, or the recycling company, can decide on the degree of compaction, which is adjustable between 200 and 600 kg/m3, to arrive at an optimum compromise between transport weight and cost, and separation effort, and the manufacturers of the briquette presses can arrange installation of the equipment at the end of a bottling line, complete with conveyors to move reject bottles to the press.