Swindon's £1m baler machine to increase recycling efficiency & drive sustainability in the region

A new £1m baler machine is now operational at Swindon's household recycling centre, aiming to increase the town's recycling rate and support its environmental goals. The baler, compressing dry waste materials like aluminium, plastic and other metals into compact bales, is expected to play a key role in improving recycling efforts. Swindon's recycling rate currently stands at 38 per cent, significantly below the government's target of 65 per cent.

Image Source : Swindon Borough Council

The introduction of this machine is hoped to help boost the town's recycling performance. The new baler will enable the council to sort plastics and metals like aluminium directly on-site at Cheney Manor Industrial Estate. The resulting bales can then be sold.

Councillor Chris Watts from Swindon Borough Council said, "To get there, there's going to be some considerable changes, not just in the way we collect recycling, but also in the way people think about it in Swindon."

The baler is part of a broader initiative to enhance Swindon's waste services, which also includes launching food waste collections for residents in flats in early 2025. Additionally, households will experience a permanent shift in their bin collection days, moving two working days earlier from Christmas Day. This change aims to prevent the backlog of approximately 40,000 collections that caused significant issues in 2023.

Watts, the cabinet member for environment and transport, added, "Everything that's in a blue recycling bag will be put into one pile - that's put onto a conveyor belt that goes through the machine. You get a pile of tin, a pile of plastic, and a pile of aluminium, that is scooped up and then compressed. They're basically ready for sale at that point. Sound investment.”