Cougle's Recycling Expands With New Equipment

By Anna S. Dutko

Last year, Hamburg, Pennsylvania based Cougle's Recycling Inc. decided it was time to upgrade its processing operations with a new baler. As the company grew, it was processing more and more volumes of scrap fiber. The baler the company chose is one of American Baler's newest and biggest balers, the T-Rex 150.

"This baler can handle more scrap fiber, especially Old Corrugated Containers. It processes about 30 tons per hour," said President Robert Cougle. The majority of material that Cougle Recycling handles is OCC and Old Newspapers, about 300 tons per day.

The new baler has a large 80-inch by 72-inch opening. "Now we can bale corrugated containers from as big as gaylord boxes to refrigerator boxes," he said. "It also has a side ram which prepacks the corrugated materials," stressed Cougle.

Cougle's Recycling has seen many advantages to its new baler. "Since it processes more scrap material, it translates into more profits. In this market, you need all the profit margins you can get," noted Cougle.

In addition, the company purchased a sorting system, manufactured by Canadian based Machinex, for processing OCC. The system pulls off the old corrugated while the remaining scrap fiber is separated and sent to a sorting line. "The system does an effective job of sorting the OCC from any contaminants," he added.

Cougle's Recycling receives its scrap material from small and large companies, mom and pop shops, grocery stores, waste management companies, communities and townships within a 60 mile radius. "We have thousands of customers," said Cougle.

The plant also processes plastic bottles and aluminum. "We try to be a one-stop shop for customers to meet their needs," said Cougle. Scrap fiber is sent to paper mills across the country and plastics and aluminum are sent to processors.

Closed-Loop Recycling

Cougle is a firm believer in closed loop recycling. He has another business, Everlast Plastic Lumber, which makes plastic lumber out of 98 percent recycled plastic. "We use plastic that we already process in our sorting plant. The bottles are granulated into flakes and then reprocessed into boards," explained Cougle's daughter, Tiffany, who is in charge of sales for Everlast Plastic Lumber.

The plastic lumber is used primarily for decking purposes and to construct playgrounds. "When decks are made out of plastic lumber, they are 100 percent maintenance-free. You complete the whole circle of closed-loop recycling," said Tiffany Cougle.

Three Generation Business

The business was started by Robert's father, Charles, back in the World War II era. "Recycling was a big deal during the war effort," said Cougle. Charles started the business out of his garage in Salisbury, Pennsylvania.

Robert took over the family business in 1980. He initiated plans for an expansion in 1992 by relocating to a 100,000 square-foot facility in Hamburg. "I'm very much in favor of saving the environment and doing whatever I can to preserve it by recycling," he said.

Cougle's Recycling continues to focus on family. Robert's wife Deborah and their son, Matthew, both work on the processing end of the business.

Future Plans

The company has plans to expand into another processing plant in Allentown. "We are growing in our clientele weekly. It's a good market to grow into. Everything we process is recycled and doesn't end up in a landfill," said Cougle.

Although the current market for scrap fiber is in the doldrums, Cougle remains optimistic that things will turn around. "The market should improve by the third or fourth quarter," he predicted. "A lot of it depends on the economy. Every situation has its ebbs and flows."