Weighing Systems in the Waste & Recycling Industry

An immense amount of waste and recyclable material is produced in every manufacturing unit. This waste is being considered as an indispensable resource, which is why it is important to manage it efficiently. Weighing systems are the key for achieving that. Not only do they help in keeping an accurate check on the waste, but also they aid in monitoring costs and productivity. To manage it efficiently, weighing scales are being employed extensively.

Let's look at some useful weighing solutions that are being used in the waste and recycling industry:

Vehicle and Axle Scales
Overweight vehicles can damage roads and bridges, in addition to shortening the vehicle's life itself. Vehicle and axle scales are a cost-efficient weighing solution to address the weight issues of a vehicle. They have a low cost of installation and are portable and quite adaptable to any vehicle. These scales accurately provide the axle and gross weight information for all vehicle types — from light vans to heavy multi-axle vehicles.

Truck Scales
Truck scales are the most popular and versatile weighing solutions used for waste and recycling. They ensure that the vehicles are filled to the right capacity without over-loading, which causes unsafe conditions. They are capable of weighing the vehicle with high accuracy when it departs or arrives at the weighing location. Truck scales are highly durable, robust, and can withstand extreme weather conditions. Moreover, these scales can easily be integrated with RFID technology, which can help in tracking the vehicle.

Rail Scales
If you work with extremely heavy industrial commodities, rail scales would be the perfect scales to implement. They can be configured easily for static weighing. Moreover, they can be in the form of modular decks that are spaced so that they match the distance between the train's wheels. Rail scales can be connected with RFID tags, digital recorders, and display systems to track, weigh, read, and store the measurements easily and accurately.

Floor Scales and Bench Scales
Floor scales are installed on top of a level flooring surface or a pit in such a manner that the top of the scale matches with its surrounding area. You can weigh the recyclable material or waste either by loading it directly onto the scale or by driving the waste in bundles onto the scales. They provide high precision and accuracy.

Bench scales are crucial in a shipping and receiving dock. They are compact in size and frame, weighing in a range of some grams to a few kilograms. They are designed for affordability and functionality.

Forklift Scales
Forklifts are used to transport heavy materials from one location to another within a manufacturing unit. Forklift scales allow the users to access real-time data and transport waste at the same time. These scales are compatible with several forklift accessories, such as pulp clamps, bale clamps, etc.

On-Board Weighing Scales
On-board weighing scales help in eliminating overweight fines by ensuring that the right amount of any material is loaded at all times. They increase safety significantly and reduce instances of accidents and liability exposure. On-board weighing scales can be integrated with GPS mapping and data collection equipment. This allows managers to flag loads that exceed the target weight and identify routes that will result in overloaded trucks. It also provides them with the ability to perform route audits using optional software package.

You should choose the right kind of scales based on the properties of waste and recycled materials that need to be weighed. Despite their advantages, installing the wrong kind of weighing scales will set you back and won't be beneficial.

Kevin Hill heads up the marketing efforts and provides technical expertise to the sales and service teams at Quality Scales Unlimited in Byron, Calif. He enjoys everything mechanical and electronic, computers, the internet and spending time with family.

Posted on Jul 08, 2016