How video monitoring solutions can improve recycling facility operations

There are roughly 18,000 recycling plants across the U.S. and their distribution mirrors population density: There are more facilities in areas with more population, as expected.

The average American produces 4.9 pounds of waste every day, which leads to a whopping 292 million tons of waste per year across the country. Consequently, recycling facilities are critical to the health and well-being of the population, and their importance will only grow in the future.

Recycling facilities' operations have to run smoothly to prevent incidents and to keep up with the ever-growing demand. This is where video monitoring comes in.

Video monitoring to streamline operations

The first thing that comes to mind when you say "video monitoring" is security. Any camera system can provide you with security, but in recycling plants, video monitoring can do so much more than that.

There are more than 16 types of recyclable materials that waste management plants have to deal with. Different equipment, different training procedures, and different processes are required for each of these materials.

It's very easy for things to fall through the cracks when you have to manage so many different systems and procedures. Moreover, recycling plants are typically huge facilities with thousands of square feet that need to be monitored. This makes it almost impossible to use human monitoring.

With video monitoring, all you need is a remote or on-site operator, who can:

• Monitor the live feed.
• Keep an eye on every piece of machinery to spot, for instance, when a conveyor belt is worn down. This can help avoid both incidents and costly downtime.
• Spot inefficiencies in your processes, such as noticing that the route between the waste storage area and the waste processing area is too long and can be shortened, thus improving your overall productivity.
• Spot when a piece of equipment works less effectively than normal. It may be time to schedule preemptive maintenance to improve productivity.
• Spot fires (one of the biggest risks in recycling facilities) with the use of thermal cameras before they turn into disasters.

Video monitoring to enhance compliance

Recycling facilities have to adhere to countless rules and laws, both at local and federal levels. As environmental laws become stricter all over the world, so will the rules that waste management plants have to abide by.

Breaking environmental laws comes with hefty fines and even facility closure. Video monitoring can help you prove that your recycling facility is compliant. You can simply show the video records to the inspector and make your case.

Enhance safety in recycling plants

Recycling facilities are harsh working environments. Heavy machinery can cause accidents, while some of the recyclable materials can be toxic to the workers if they are not handled properly.

Through video monitoring, you can examine and review the processes and the way your workers interact with the equipment and the waste. Small glitches and human errors are hard to spot by a human supervisor who's smack in the middle of the action.

The bird's-eye-view of a remote operator, on the other hand, is entirely different because it comes with the much-needed holistic perspective.

You can use the video feed in your training sessions or as a starting point to improve your operations and your processes to enhance the safety of your staff. 

Moreover, the right video monitoring solution will help you tackle both security and safety at the same time. A security breach can quickly turn into a safety issue if the intruder mishandles the equipment or the toxic waste.

Once again, a remote operator can easily notice an intruder and alert the police and the on-site personnel, thus preventing both theft and, perhaps, a dangerous accident.

How to choose the best cameras for your facility

The camera system you need depends a lot on the specifics of your recycling facility. 

• Is it a high-humidity environment?
• Is it a high-vibration environment?
• Are there significant temperature variations?
• Do you work with flammable materials?

The answers to these questions will dictate whether you need explosion-rated cameras, if you need vibration mounts, and many other details.

Heidi Schmidt has worked in the video technology space for almost 20 years, building expertise in CCTV, industrial video applications, new product development, video network solutions, and more. As a global sales manager at Opticom Technologies, she helps customers implement robust video monitoring solutions for unique and harsh industrial environments.