The Solid Waste Special Service District #1 unveiled a new baler to help package recycling in Moab at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the machine on Thursday, June 27.
The machine compresses recyclables into bales that are packaged for shipping.
Solid Waste Special Service District #1 District Manager Evan Tyrrell has been improving and updating operations at the Community Recycling Center since he stepped into the position on Jan. 28.
“The new baler processes the material more densely, it packs it more tightly,” Tyrrell said. “The other baler was kind of like an ancient dinosaur to a certain degree. It was very old … and it was not processing material properly.”
The baler is new to Moab, but Tyrrell said it was manufactured in 2015 and came from Phoenix, Arizona, with some prior use. The baler and an attached conveyor cost approximately $85,000, including transportation, installation and training, Tyrrell said.
The district anticipates the new baler will last for at least a decade.
