Separating Paint Leftovers from Buckets

By separating paint from the buckets and compacting the packaging, the waste handling company saves money on both transport and disposal.

Efficient Paint Waste Management with VEGLO MILJØSERVICE AS

VEGLO MILJØSERVICE AS is dedicated to collecting and processing hazardous waste from companies across a wide geographic area in central Norway. Among the waste they handle are cans and buckets containing paint leftovers, amounting to around 300 tons per year. These containers need to be emptied and compacted efficiently.

For the past five years, Veglo has relied on the RUNI SK370 Screw Compactor to streamline this process. Containers up to 10 liters in size, made of either plastic or metal, are loaded directly into the compactor, where they are ground and compacted.

"The RUNI Screw Compactor presses the leftover paint out of the packaging and collects it in 1 cubic meter containers," explains Knut Atle Aarbu, Director of Veglo. "These containers are then sent for incineration to produce energy. The packaging itself is compacted into dry waste, which is currently sent to landfill. We hope that in the future, it will be approved for recycling."

The RUNI SK370 has significantly reduced costs for Veglo. Previously, all paint packaging was delivered unprocessed for incineration, which was much more expensive per kilo than dumping.

“We had major costs for negative weight but now we only have to pay for delivering the paint to the incinerator whilst saving on transport, because the packaging is less bulky. So, we save in two areas: less transport and a lower cost per kilo,” says Aarbu.

He finds the RUNI SK370 practical, sturdy and easy to operate. Daily maintenance is simple, involving only a wipe-down with a scraper, and there have been no issues with dried-on paint or blockages. The compactor effectively forces out any leftover paint during operation.

“Operation is so simple that there are no problems with incorrect operation. There are no rocket scientists employed to load the machine with half-full cans and buckets of paint!” laughs Aarbu.