Re: MANUAL COMPACTOR

["Dale E. Boyce" <dale@radpro.uchicago.edu>]

As Don from my group pointed out, we do not see a big vol. redux.
Maybe our researchers squeeze stuff in tighter.  Waste we pick
up from the labs is usually packed at a density between 10
and 20 lbs per cubic foot.  Usually closer to the lower end of that.
1.3 : 1 is a pretty good average of what we got.  

Compacting a drum containing only glass might give a pretty good
volume reduction. If it is only paper it will depend on
how the original was packed.  If it was just thrown in loosely
you'll probably see a pretty good volume reduction.  If people
were careful to pack or even fold the paper first, it won't
compact so well.  If it contains plastic or a mixture of
plastic and paper you'll be lucky to find any powered compactor
that will do 2 : 1.  As don said we only get about 1.3 : 1.

Several people in the past posted that by shutting down the
compactor at the bottom of its compression cycle and leaving
it compressed the plastic will tire and not spring back as much.
Ours won't stay down when it is shutoff, so I can't try that.

The weight of your drum of waste will give you some indication
of how much compaction you can expect.  Subtract, the weight
of the drum.  With compaction you should be able to get
100 maybe even 125 pounds of a mix of paper and plastic in
a 55 gallon drum with moderate compaction.  More with just
paper less with just plastic.

Dale