The Packaging Act, the German implementation of the European Packaging Directive 94/62/EC, which came into force on January 1, 2019, places even greater obligations on online retailers as manufacturers and distributors of packaging. The amendment to the law, which replaced the previous Packaging Ordinance, not only changes the rules of the game. It also shows that the disposal of packaging materials is a high priority in the e-commerce sector. As part of its obligation to participate in the system, every mail order company must provide meticulous evidence that it is disposing of cardboard, paperboard, plastic film and other packaging materials in an environmentally friendly manner. This means that waste materials from incoming goods, order picking or returns management must be prepared for later recycling. Old cardboard boxes, for example, are sent to a paper press where they are compressed before being recycled.

Ergonomic overhead solution
Ferag has developed a highly efficient and ergonomic solution based on the proven deniway system for the in-house handling of such old cartons. The deniway technology scores highly with its 3D capability. This is because the employees of mail order companies and fulfillment service providers literally throw the empty cartons that accumulate at their workstations onto deniway plates that continuously roll over them. Tests with different test subjects revealed an optimum height of two meters for the overhead system. In places where employees do not throw anything up, the conveyor line can certainly be installed higher, depending on the customer's requirements. At Zalando in Erfurt, the deniway line climbs to a height of up to four meters away from the workstations in order to provide sufficient clearance for forklift trucks and other vehicles moving on the ground. The deniway system can quickly ascend to a high hall level and then descend again with the help of spiral coils. The modular slat chain conveyor manages smaller inclines by lifting the transport path vertically. Thanks to their low weight and flexible layout, deniway systems can be implemented in many environments. Even the ceilings of existing buildings are usually structurally capable of supporting a deniway line.

deniway as the basis for waste carton disposal
The implementation of a material flow system for the disposal of used cardboard boxes poses a number of pitfalls for conveyor technology developers. These include individual cartons getting caught up in each other on their way to the compactor, causing the system to come to a standstill due to jams. In addition, small pulp particles and dust damage the conveyor technology to such an extent that it has to be cleaned and maintained at regular intervals to prevent it from breaking down. The Ferag engineers specifically avoided such problems with their waste conveyor solution. For good reason, they opted for a concept based on the deniway technology originally developed for transporting newspapers and magazines. Its invaluable advantage: it proves to be completely immune to paper abrasion. It is also practically wear-free. The latter means that the Ferag system hardly requires any maintenance. A deniway system owes its low operating costs to this aspect, among other things. Thanks to the rolling support, Ferag technology also proves to be very energy-efficient. It requires only a small number of drives. For example, one or two electric motors with an output of 1.6 kilowatts are sufficient for the conveyor lines installed at Zalando in Brieselang or DHL in Hamburg. Their lengths are 410 and 351 meters respectively.

Quiet technology protects hearing
Another advantage of a deniway system is particularly noticeable where people have to work in direct contact with the conveyor technology. Whoever comes close to the Ferag system is surprised at how quietly the plate conveyor chain rolls. The noise emission criterion usually plays a key role when it comes to employees quickly accepting an innovation in their workplace. For example, employees at Zalando and DHL, where the first systems for disposing of used cardboard are in operation, welcome the fact that they can continue to carry out their tasks without hearing protection.

No disruptive transitions
It was also important to the Swiss company to offer a consistent and reliable system without any disruptive transitions. They therefore upgraded the deniway system with detailed modifications so that it can overcome all the challenges that transporting empty cardboard boxes entails. These include, for example, additional guide plates and funnel blades in the curve area, which prevent the cartons from falling down even when the radii are very tight. These measures also help to ensure that the packaging waste is pushed through the curve without jamming or jamming. At the end of the conveyor line, a further advantage of the system becomes apparent: the system solution even implies the possibility that the material feed automatically switches from one press to the next as soon as one of them is full. This means that the Ferag system not only allows for smooth, but also round-the-clock disposal of used cardboard boxes.