Gaylords as recycling and collection bins

Grade C is the functional, cosmetic-wear grade: heavier creasing, some taped or reinforced repairs, fewer trips left. It is for one-way internal use, scrap collection or non-stacked storage. That makes it a good collection bin.

Where a collection bin works

• Press floors: paper trim and waste.
• Packing lines: cartons, dunnage and film in separate boxes.
• Maintenance: cardboard and spent packaging during outages.
• Moves and clean-outs: a gaylord on a dock catches everything.

Rules for a bin

1. Mark it. A bin that holds trim looks like a bin that holds stock unless you label it.
2. Keep it dry. A wet bin is a heavy, weak bin.
3. Do not stack loaded bins. Collection loads shift.
4. Empty it before it bows. A bowed wall is the sign to stop.
5. When it fails, it is OCC. Send the count.

If you use gaylords as bins, the cycle is: buy Grade C, fill, empty to recycling, and send the box itself for recycling when it bows. The recycling hub covers the end of that cycle, and worn-out gaylords covers boxes that are already past it.

The same box is also what you want for the occasional dock clear-out. Describe the job on the request.

Sizing a collection bin

A 48 x 40 x 36 box holds about 40 cubic feet. That is a lot of loose paper, bottles or cans, and a full box of bottles is heavy. For a bin that will be emptied by hand, a half-height box or a bin with a cut front is easier to work with. For one emptied by forklift, a full box on a pallet is fine.

Put the bin where the material is made, not where it is convenient for the truck. A bin that is a long walk from the work stays empty while the floor fills.

Finally, mark each bin with what goes in it. A bin without a label collects everything, and mixed loads are the hardest to sell.

Three places bins work well

A bin works best where one material is made in quantity: a packing line, a loading dock or a print finishing room. It works poorly in a hallway, where mixed material lands in it. Pick a spot where a single stream is made, put the bin there and keep the rest away.

Check the floor, too. A bin on bare concrete draws moisture through the bottom in a damp season, so a pallet or a plastic sheet under it keeps the base dry and the box usable for longer.

When a bin is full

Empty it before it bulges, and before the bottom panel starts to bow. A bin that is stuffed past the top is also hard to lift, and a split bin spills across the floor and becomes a cleaning job.

Questions, answered