Bindery compaction process

Binderies produce paper waste in two gross categories. First, there is relatively large particulate paper waste, which paper waste results from printed paper pages being trimmed preparatory to stitching. Second, and after stitching has occurred, the bound pages are uneven. Trimming of the pages-usually with a machine known as a "three knife"-produces fine paper waste. Binderies produce a surprising tonnage of such waste, with "medium" size binderies producing from 30 to 80 tons of such waste per month. A bindery compactor receives and compacts simultaneously large particulate paper waste and pneumatically conveyed fine paper waste. The compactor operates with a platen cycling within a compactor chute, in which the platen is normally forward in the compacting position with a sealing plate attached to the platen extending to close the top of the chute and form the bottom of two waste paper receiving bins. A first of these paper waste-receiving bins is for large particulate paper waste loaded from a cart dumper. A second bin of these paper waste-receiving bins is for pneumatically transported fine paper waste from a cyclone separator. In the second bin, accumulation of fine particle paper waste occurs to a height where an electric eye triggers cycling of the compactor. When cycling is triggered, the compactor platen retracts from extension to the chute withdrawing the sealing plate and allowing the stored paper waste from either bin to fall into the chute ahead of the retracting platen. Upon reaching full retraction, the platen reverses direction to compact all paper waste falling from either bin in the chute. The platen then closes off the bottom of the bins with the sealing plate, and remains extended in the forward position until the next compactor cycle. Provision is made to manually cycle the compactor where the waste bin for the large particulate paper waste fills ahead of the waste bin for the small particulate paper waste.