Going Paperless – Part of the Green Mission with our Top 10 Tips

At PTR Baler & Compactor we are always focused on our “Green Mission” – going green and meeting our sustainability goals. We work with clients everyday to help them build recycling programs, utlizing our balers. While we’re always making moves on a big level – the little things make a difference too. That being said, we are proud to announce that all PTR offices will be going completely paperless by 2022.

While this doesn’t work for all businesses, its certainly worth looking into for yours. Once you start, you may be surprised at just how much paper your office uses. Below are tips to get a program together.

1. Go Digital. From invoices and internal forms to employee handbooks. Not only do you save paper, it makes it easier to stay organized and track things.

2. Talk to your customers. Find out what ideas they may have. They have an outside perspective on your organization and may suggest something you haven’t thought out.

3. You can go mostly paperless. There are some instances where you will still need paper. Thats ok. Just be sure to set up recycling bins around the office for this paper.

4. Talk to your vendors and partners. Request that they send their invoices and such digitally. This may not fit with their protocals, but it can’t hurt to ask. And you may inspire them to go paperless as well.

5. Digital Marketing. When possible, switch to digital methods to get the word out. An email blast saves a whole lot of paper versus a direct mail campaign. Another bonus – its usually more cost effective to go digital.

6. Set up your payment processor to email the receipt instead of printing a paper receipt. Every little bit helps!

7. Get tablets for use when taking notes in meetings, instead of using a pad. Another bonus – you can email yourself the notes and they’ll also be more legible.

8. Use QR codes for both employee and customer use. These can be used in place of menus and signage for example.

9. Use an digital signature service for sending documents that need to be signed. This is totally secure and is legally binding. (Check the specific service you use for details)

10. Think twice. Before you print something out, stop and think if you really need to. If you must print, try to duplex it – you’ll use 50% less paper!

Every business is different, so different ideas may apply. Take a look to see what you and your team can do to reduce paper use. Another bonus – you’ll spend less money on paper

Now Seeking Transportation Partners!

Do you have a CDL license and flatbed truck 48′ or greater? If yes, let’s work together for a win-win! We’re currently seeking partnerships with reliable, professional drivers to help us transport our equipment throughout the United States.

Here are the important details:

TRUCK TYPE/WEIGHT: Job requires flatbed, step deck or conestoga trucks. Most loads don’t exceed 30,000 lbs.

DESTINATIONS: Throughout the U.S. (occasionally Canada).

FREQUENCY: Average 10 trucks per day.

REQUIREMENTS: Loads must be tarped. Drivers are required to pre-call 24 hours prior to arrival at delivery location.

A key part of successfully meeting the sky-rocketing demand for our products, is being able to quickly deliver the equipment when the customer needs it. We need you to help us make that happen. Let’s work together together to create a solution! You’ll provide reliable, professional transportation for us, and in turn you’ll receive consistent, steady work. PTR Baler and Compactor is a world leader in the waste equipment industry located in Philadelphia. We’re a 4th Generation, family-owned company. Our mission is to help companies achieve their green initiatives by reducing waste streams and increasing recycling efforts.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to grow with us for years to come! Contact us today at freight@ptrco.com.

-Eric Riethmiller, Owner & Vice President, PTR Baler and Compactor Company

Recycling Baler ROI

A recycling baler has a variety of benefits. It helps to keep facilities clean and free of hazardous debris. It reduces your company’s waste contribution and frequency of landfill hauls. The latter has a two-fold benefit, as it helps your company reach sustainability goals while also benefiting from those cost savings. Many haulers charge upwards of $300 every time they bull a container.

There’s another major benefit to consider when investing in a PTR Recycling baler: new revenue generation for your organization.

Your recycling baler turns what was once considered waste into a valuable recycling commodity. How valuable? Well, currently more than ever before. The demand and price of recycling materials, especially corrugated materials, is experiencing record highs this year.

Why is the cost continually increasing? “The need for boxes has been going up by 2 to 4 percent every single year because people love having stuff delivered to their door, and COVID has accelerated that,” (Recycling Today). We discussed this and more reasons for the increased demand in last month’s blog, “Industry Update: Cardboard Price Reaches New Heights”. You can read that full blog post here.

How much revenue can you expect to make with your recycling baler?

The number varies by how often you bale, the size of your machine, and the size of the bales it produces. Back in January of this year, “Plastics Recycling Update” published an article outlining the current value of recycling bales. From that article, they provide data from the SMP Index. These prices represent “what is being paid for post-consumer recyclable materials in a sorted, baled format, picked up at most major recycling centers.”

Here is the pricing information they compiled:

• The national average price of PET beverage bottles and jars moved up 16% this month and is currently at 7.58 cents per pound, compared with 6.55 cents per pound this time last month.

• The national average price of polypropylene surged upward this month and is now at 11.69 cents per pound, compared to 7.00 cents last month and 5.81 cents one year ago.

• The national average price of color HDPE is also up again. It is now trading at 17.19 cents per pound, up from 17.06 cents last month. This compares to a low 3.58 cents six months ago, in July 2020.

• The national average price of Grade A film is up 15%, now at 10.84 cents, compared with 9.44 cents per pound last month and 8.44 cents per pound this time last year. Grade B film is now 3.63 cents per pound, while Grade C film remains a low 0.81 cents per pound.

How soon after making your investment will you start seeing a return? On average, customers start seeing a return within the first 2 years of operation.

Investing in a PTR Recycling Baler is a smart move for your organization. You’ll enjoy the benefits of cost savings, the implementation of sustainability policies, and the creation of a new revenue stream. Contact PTR today to find the right equipment for your company!