Let’s recap: conservation, recycling, and being good to the environment is en vogue. The environmental movement has truly gained popular momentum and is helping to shape political policy and consumer consumption across the country, which means you need to get your business on the Eco-friendly train. Yet the persisting problem for many business owners, particularly in the construction field, is that going green typically means shelling out a lot of green. The high cost of environmentally friendly materials and equipment make caring for mother earth a considerable business expense that, in this turbulent economy, many businesses can’t afford to bear. Luckily, there is one way you can go green that will help you increase productivity as well: compost screens.
Compost screens are large pieces of equipment that are able to sift and sort several tons of earth every day quickly and efficiently to separate the usable compost material from the rest. Compost screens automatically divide unwanted matter such as root balls, large pieces of rock or gravel, and foreign objects like tennis balls, from the biodegradable material that can be used as fertilizer. Their structure typically includes a loading conveyor belt, sifting bed, multilayer screens made from fibers or mesh, and a discard system that creates separate piles of compost and remainder matter.
Compost fertilizer is a staple of recycling practices.
It incorporates the key values of reduce and reuse by replacing harsh synthetic or chemical fibers with all natural biodegradable waste. Compost is such a valuable fertilizer because, as material like old food or lawn clippings withers, it gets broken down to its fundamental nutrients by microorganisms like bacteria or yeast. The distilled nutrients are then available to be utilized by another growing plant, resulting in healthy vegetation.
Compost screens are a vital investment, not only to the environment but to the productivity and efficiency of your business. Store bought fertilizer is expensive, and when you are constructing an area with a lot of ground space, that can mean big expense for your business. Having a compost screen in your equipment fleet will allow you to appropriately process earth and generate your own fertilizer, saving you thousands. Another thing to consider is that open-air fertilizer, like the kind you could be creating with your compost screen, decomposes faster and releases its nutrients quicker. This means that you can see noticeable growth in your green areas with compost fertilizer which always makes clients happy.
Perhaps the best aspect of a compost screen is that it has the ability to be much more than that. Most compost screens have removable filters that can be interchanged at will with other types of portable screening devices like gravel filters or topsoil filters, making compost screens multifaceted and multifunctional items. This diversity of workload can also significantly offset the admittedly high cost of a compost screener, and can help increase the productivity of your business by offering an effective way to sort earth matter at your construction site.
It is sad to say, but with going green often comes the feeling that you are making a sacrifice. In order to be good to the environment you are required to pay more than the non Eco-friendly version, or wait longer, or relinquish quality or taste. However, compost screeners produce such tangible and concrete results that it is hard to imagine not choosing to be environmentally responsible. A green product that benefits not only your business but the environment as well? Now that sounds like resourceful thinking.
Whether you’re one person with a little garden or a large landscape company, a topsoil screen can make you more efficient. Topsoil screens come in a variety of configurations, from small, individual screens to huge motorized pieces of equipment. Some of the most common uses are the removal of rocks, sticks, and sod to leave usable soil behind. The usefulness of each topsoil screen is dependent on your goals.
A commercial-grade topsoil screen is going to be mechanized and will utilize some sort of motor to create the vibrations necessary to send dirt and other organic materials through the filter. In many cases, an operator will have the job of loading dirt onto the machine as well as removing the larger debris that has been filtered out. Some machines, however, have an integrated conveyor that carries the debris away.
While it’s common to think about using woven wire for a topsoil screen, there are several other options available. One topsoil screen may utilize piano wire while another uses a punched plate, for example. The material used to build the screen will help determine how fine of a mesh is created. The size of the openings allows for a variety of uses.
Compost screens are the best way to get material into a much more useable state. When making compost for commercial use, or even personal use, it is essential to sift the debris from the compost. Compost screens can save individuals hours of arduous labor and can be extremely efficient and economical for commercial use. This essential tool comes in a variety of sizes and capabilities. From the build it yourself models that homeowners can put together, to industrial size screeners that do more than just screen compost, compost screeners are available in a variety of sizes to suit every need.
Industrial size compost screens can be pricey but can also come with a variety of functions. Some of the industrial size screens have built in conveyer systems which can help alleviate some of the workload from the operator and double productivity. This compost screener can also be used as topsoil screens and gravel screens. The unique conveyer belt technology is used to remove the debris and place it in a designated area. It can stack the debris several feet high. This eliminates the operator task of having to stop production to remove debris periodically. This industrial compost screen allows the operator to have one job: loading the screener. With this technology, productivity is only dependent on the efficiency of screen loading instead of the dual efficiency of loading the screen and removing the debris.
Compost screens are the most efficient way to remove unwanted debris and foreign objects from compost, and are the best way to get compost material into a much more useable state. The size and range abilities of compost screens differ dramatically. A screen can be found to fit any compost need. Whether the task is a small home project or a large commercial function, compost screens can provide operators with an efficient way to maximize productivity and minimize waste. Industrial size compost screens can also be used for a variety of functions to ensure maximal efficiency and work load. Regardless of the workload, compost screens are the answer to your compost needs.
EZ-Screen 1200XL Plays Big Recycling Role in Key West
In a word, it’s recycling.
Says Mike, “All this infrastructure we’ve got is aging and needs to be replaced. That’s not just here in Key West, but all over the country, even in the big cities like Chicago and New York.” In Mike’s case, that’s a good thing as demolition work provides the material he needs for new construction projects Demo material is loaded via an excavator into his crusher. Steel, metals and wire are separated out and the rest is fed into Mike’s 10-months EZ-Screen 1200XL portable screening plant – pretty much a perpetual motion machine as it runs non-stop. The crusher salesman tried to get Mike to purchase a much larger — and considerably more expensive — screening plant to work with the crusher. But according to Mike, “I thought the EZ-Screen unit could handle the job – and for a lot less money.”
Productivity is the key word for this balanced Key West operation. The excavator keeps the crusher going full tilt, the crusher keeps the EZ-1200XL running all out, and the three screened products are moved by front end loader to where Mike needs the material. Says Mike, “The 1200XL is my bread-and-butter machine when it comes to producing finished product. And after 10 months of continual operation, I haven’t had one single problem.”
Flexibility is another important area where the EZ-Screen 1200XL excels. Feed height is eight feet, and the double-deck screens, measuring six by five feet, match up with loading buckets from 1/2 yard to 1 3/4 yards. “Whether topsoil, gravel, demo debris, mulch, rock or combinations of all sorts of materials – the EZ-1200XL performs,” says Mike. There’s also the flexibility that comes from the EZ-1200XL’s portability. EZ-Screen Machines may be painted orange, however the way they operate is pure green. That’s because of their exclusive, patented EZ-Kinetic Green Drive System – a system simply so efficient and dependable that it can do a whole lot more with less horsepower. Just ask Mike how important that is as energy costs keep going up.
For more information: Contact Al Skoropa of Argus Industrial Co., manufacturer of the EZScreen line-up of portable screening plants, at (248) 745-5828, or sales@ez-screen.com.