Sustainability in the Material Handling Industry

If not already developed, your company has likely begun to develop some sort of a green initiative. The conventional wisdom of doing things good for the environment and good for the bottom line is sometimes difficult to achieve. Now, thanks to the application of high density compaction and innovative technology, that’s all changing in the field of waste material handling and solid waste removal.

Through high density compaction and automated dispatching of waste haulers, it is possible to reduce transportation operations by an average of 40% or more. Such results are possible by fixing the problem at the source….the waste compactor. By improving the performance efficiency of waste compactor management so that only maximum loaded compactor containers are picked up, enormous improvements and savings are possible.

This is especially important because waste removal trucks are among the least efficient vehicles on the road. But as it turns out, the easiest solution to reducing costs and the carbon footprint of the waste process is with the waste compactor, not the truck. A high density compactor with a monitoring system from SP Industries is your best solution. An automated monitoring system actually watches how the high density compactor container is filling, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a “full container” is sensed, the waste hauler is automatically notified by the monitor. In real world experience, this results in an average of 40% fewer trips by the waste hauler, and reducing the fuel consumption, air pollution, and carbon footprint of these trucks by 40%!

Many waste compactor users find it almost impossible to consistently know when a compactor’s container is ready for pickup. Because businesses are often concerned about calling the hauler too late, they rely on regularly scheduled waste pickups, or guess when to call for a pickup based on such unreliable measures as pressure gauges and indicator lights. These practices result in compactor containers being picked up too frequently, often with only 5,000# to 6,000# payloads when they should be 15,000# to 20,000# payloads.

Like an out-of-tune car or truck engine, an inadequate or malfunctioning compactor is incredibly wasteful. Improper pressure settings or faulty gauges can fool workers into calling for a pickup when the container is just half full. The added pollution that results, as well as the added expense, can be much more significant than is at first apparent. High density compaction is able to greatly improve waste stream efficiency and document results, because it is a complete, fully automated monitoring solution. State-of-the-art sensing technology, on-board intelligence and embedded software are fully configurable to the needs of the individual user.

Fewer truck pickups equate to fewer miles driven, which means fewer trucks are needed to service the same number of customers. That also means that truck maintenance is reduced proportionately. So, reducing these factors is an added bonus.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of utilizing these types of systems is that on a purchase basis, the system typically pays back in 9 months or less. After that, it continues to generate major savings. Contact an SP representative today to find out more about how to significantly reduce operating expenses and cut your carbon footprint.

The SP Triple Bottom Line

We have been busy updating our literature, tweaking the website, and working on new products! The theme we have kept in mind during these updates and changes has been a continuing focus on sustainability, most popularly known as “thinking green.” At SP, we take a very detailed and involved approach to sustainability. The development and production of new products to be added to our line of waste handling equipment centers around meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of the future. In other words, we gauge how sustainable our products and operations are according to how well they uphold three interdependent dimensions: the environment, economics, and society—what we refer to as our triple bottom line.


For a leader in the waste material handling industry, adhering to this triple bottom line means manufacturing equipment that not only achieves maximum density but also increases our customers’ payloads and results in less trash hauling. Also, with the economy in mind, we have specific criteria designed to help our customers perform an accurate cost savings analysis regarding their material handling and recycling efforts. For instance, it is important for companies to ask: “What size and type of waste am I dealing with?” “What volume have we produced in the past?” “What compaction ratio are we currently getting?” How many pick-ups do we currently have and what is the maximum load allowance in our current container?” Moreover, we help companies navigate deciding among buying, leasing, and renting. Labor and equipment intensity also becomes relevant in making purchasing decisions especially in terms of the number of workers and machines utilized within a waste handling operation.


Read more about how our systems make waste handling operations more sustainable in our latest metal recycling catalog or on our website. Also, we would love to hear any questions or comments that you have via a response to this post or by emailing us.