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Home | Shredding and recycling big bags, bulk bags and fabric bags

Bulk Bag (FIBC) Shredding & Recycling

From Big Bags to Super Sacks: Shredding for Efficient Recycling & Disposal

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Logistic center with filled big bags for transportation

wlk 800 cutting chamber view big bag shredding

size reduced big bags PP fibers after shredding

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You’ll encounter it wherever heavy loads (particularly bulk goods) need to be transported quickly and safely: the popular and very rugged Big Bag. The English term caught on from the very beginning because it precisely describes what it is – a big bag. And it is extremely flexible to use. In addition to sea freight containers and europallets, big bags are standard equipment in any manufacturing industry that deals with logistics, transport and storage. But big bags are also made of fabric, which wears over time and with use. We will show you on this page how the subsequent proper disposal works in terms of the circular economy.

A man in a white protective suit holding an empty black big bag in the hall of a tire manufacturer.

Big Bag shredding

Unstoppable WEIMA Shredders at Nokian Tyres

At Nokian Tyres, two WEIMA WLK 6S shredders from 2001 and 2007 continue to prove their durability in processing Big Bags used in tire production. The Big Bags contain production waste from tire manufacturing that requires specialized handling. After shredding, the material undergoes separation to remove carbon black residues that remain in the bags from the tire production process.

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Big Bag shredding

WEIMA WLK 1500 shreds big bags for a extrusion system

A WEIMA WLK 1500 single-shaft shredder shreds big bags from production waste. An Erema Intarema extruder recycles the shredded big bags into granulate.

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Big Bag shredding

Big bags shredding with WEIMA W5.18 shredder

A WEIMA W5.18 single-shaft shredder with hydraulic drive recycles used baled big bags.

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Big Bag shredding

WEIMA WLK 1500 shredder for Big Bags, Bulk Bags, Woven Sacks

A WEIMA WLK 1500 single-shaft shredder shreds Big Bags, Bulk Bags, Woven Sacks with a 20 mm screen.

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Big Bag briquetting

Shredded big bags briquetting with a WEIMA TH 1200

A WEIMA TH 1200 briquetting press compacts shredded big bags into solid briquettes.

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Portrait of Erik Hagen, Sales Director at WEIMA

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WEIMA portfolio for shredding Big Bags

The right machine for every material

Single-shaft shredder

WLK Series

Machines in the WLK series are ideally equipped for a wide range of plastics tasks. The machine design is characterized in particular by its durability and robustness. Thanks to the conveyor belt cut-out, all machines can be seamlessly integrated into any production line. They also offer a wide range of options in terms of drive and cutting geometry.

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Single-shaft shredder

W5 series

With rotor lengths of 1,400 to 2,200 mm, the shredders in the W5 series shred large-volume plastic tanks and plastic garbage cans with ease. The hydraulically upward pivoting screen basket and the inspection flap allow foreign objects to be removed quickly and facilitate maintenance. Large quantities of plastic flakes can be removed via the wide conveyor belt cut-out.

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Single-shaft shredder

S7 series

With their extremely sturdy design and large rotor diameters of up to 700 mm, shredders from the S7 series offer almost unlimited application possibilities for shredding plastic waste. They are up to any challenge and can be equipped with a high-torque hydraulic drive.

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Heavy duty machine design protects against increased wear

WEIMA shredders are designed for shredding heavily soiled or abrasive big bags. A robust machine frame, a rotor reinforced with Vautid and optional Creusabro linings in the cutting chamber provide reliable protection against wear. Large cutting blades up to 130 × 130 mm and reinforced screens with a wall thickness of approx. 20 mm ensure operation even with foreign objects in the material. This keeps downtimes to a minimum and the system permanently efficient – even under the toughest conditions.

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Revestimento de rotor Vautid

Ideal for flexible materials – the F rotor

WEIMA is known for its precise cutting geometries. The F rotor is a prime example of this. Its cutting geometry and special knife arrangement are ideal for shredding flexible materials such as fibers and films. For extreme applications and contaminated material streams, we recommend additional wear protection made of Vautid, which protects the rotor.

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F rotor for fibers, veneer, ropes, strings and big bags

WEIMA F rotor for flexible material

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Recycling of Big Bags

The most important facts at a glance

What is a big bag?

A big bag - also known as a bulk bag, jumbo bag or FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container) - is a large-volume, reusable plastic bag made of PP fabric with loops and a wide opening. It holds over 1,000 liters of bulk material and is particularly light and flexible when unfilled. Originally a brand name, “Big Bag” has established itself as the common name for these plastic bulk containers.

What types of big bags exist?

The most common big bag types worldwide include U+2 panel bags, round big bags and QBags - each in different sizes and designs. Filling takes place either via a total opening, a filling skirt or a filling spout. Three options are available for emptying: simple turning, a discharge spout at the bottom or a bottom that can be opened completely. There are also variants for the loops, such as loop straps, straight lifting loops, tunnel loops and turning loops.

Source: My Pallets Online

Extrusion pellets and granulate from plastic production

How are big bags properly disposed of and recycled?

The first step in recycling used big bags is to shred them with a shredder. Whether loose or compressed into bales - the big bags can be fed into the large feed hopper of the WEIMA shredder by forklift truck, conveyor belt or manually. Inside, the rotor, counter blade and hydraulic pusher ensure a homogeneous output size of approx. 60-80 mm. Thanks to the robust design and intelligent cutting geometry, the fines content is reduced to a minimum - ideal for subsequent further processing and high-quality big bag recycling.

Challenges when shredding big bags (FIBC)

Big bags are frequently compressed into bales, but often still contain dust, dirt or foreign matter such as sand, stones or metal. These should be removed before shredding to avoid unnecessary wear on the shredder. If the bags are largely clean, nothing stands in the way of direct processing. Another challenge is the high tear resistance of the PP fabric. This is why the right cutting geometry and a high-performance shredder solution are crucial. With over 40,000 systems installed worldwide, WEIMA is your reliable partner for big bag shredding.

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Did you know?
The Swedish company Boxon produces big bags in Indonesia that consist of up to 96% recycled PET bottles. The equivalent of 50 bottles are required for a 2 kg big bag.

Source: Neue Verpackung

Nature as an example: using WEIMA to shred raffia strings, yarn and bast

Raffia is the natural counterpart to big bag plastic fibers made of polypropylene (PP). The main cultivation areas are Madagascar, South, West and East Africa. Raphia belongs to the palm family and is derived from its very long leaf fibers. Due to its tear resistance, raffia is ideal for the production of coarse yarn, knitting, mats, baskets, hats or other garments. Raffia is also used as a tying or braiding material for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables. WEIMA also offers the right shredding solution for shredding this natural product.

Source: Material-Archiv