Mobile shears are essential tools in demolition and recycling operations. Their productivity, safety, and long-term performance depend heavily on proper operation and proper maintenance. When maintained correctly, a shear will not only perform through the most demanding jobs, but will also provide years of reliable service. The role of mobile shears in demolition

When Metro Vancouver banned drywall from landfills in the mid-1980s, it created a pressing issue for contractors and demolition companies in B.C.'s Lower Mainland: there was nowhere to dispose of the gypsum. At the time, drywall was considered disposable waste rather than a recoverable material, and there was no established system to manage it once it left the job site. The ban meant that contractors and demolition companies suddenly needed an alternative. New West Gypsum Recycling (NWGR) evolved from a local response to that landfill ban into one of the earliest post-consumer gypsum recycling operations in North America. Founded in 1985, the company emerged at a time when no established recycling pathway for gypsum existed. Gypsum wallboard is now recognized as one of the most widely used and most recyclable materials in construction, with its core able to be processed and reused repeatedly without degrading. Today, NWGR operates gypsum recycling facilities across Canada, the U.S., and Europe, supporting wallboard manufacturers with a consistent, high-quality recycled gypsum supply. The company has become a critical link in the drywall supply chain, helping keep gypsum in circulation rather than buried or exported as waste. From landfill ban to recycling model New West Gypsum's development was shaped less by long-term vision than by a series of practical responses to a problem no one else was ready to solve. With drywall barred from landfill and no recycling infrastructure in place, Tony and Gwen McCamley began adapting their demolition and construction disposal business to handle a material stream that suddenly had nowhere to go. Recycling was not the original objective. The first solution was an alternate disposal system. "The federal government stepped in with an ocean dumping permit," explains Michael McCamley, vice president of global business development and second generation in the family business. "[My parents] used the permit to take gypsum waste to an ocean dump site 60 miles off the west coast of Vancouver Island." That stopgap solution presented another challenge: volume.  Michael recalls a kitchen table meeting where his dad experimented with grinding drywall in a blender to condense the material. Processing the waste drywall this way would allow for more to be loaded onto the sea-bound barges. This operational workaround was pivotal in the evolution of the company. As the processed product sat ready for disposal, the material caught the attention of a nearby wallboard manufacturer, who recognized that if the paper backing could be removed, the gypsum could be reused in production. That realization reframed drywall as a viable manufacturing input rather than a disposal problem and laid the groundwork for New West Gypsum's recycling process. As manufacturers began accepting recycled gypsum, the model scaled. NWGR expanded first into Washington State and Ontario in the 1990s, then into Europe in the early 2000s, following markets where policy, manufacturing demand, and logistics aligned. What began as a local response to a landfill ban evolved into a recycling system designed to return gypsum to manufacturing, keeping the material in circulation rather than treating it as a one-time-use waste stream.

In a busy MRF, an unexpected baler outage can be chaotic, with lines backing up, trucks waiting, and crews hustling to keep things moving. Storage limitations heighten that pressure, since many MRFs don't have the bunker space to hold material while repairs are made. Extended downtime can also force operators to divert material to other facilities, which adds transportation costs and introduces a more serious threat: suppliers permanently sending material elsewhere. Redundant baler capacity is a strategic tool that helps maintain steady throughput, manage operational risks, and unlock efficiencies that a single line can rarely achieve. With backup machines in place, plants can handle maintenance, unexpected issues, or surges in material without sacrificing productivity. I caught up with D.J. VanDeusen, president of Harris American Company, to discuss why baler redundancy has become an essential part of MRF optimization, rather than a luxury. 1. Protection against shutdowns The most obvious benefit of baler redundancy is insurance against downtime. When a facility relies on a single baler line, any extended outage can bring production to a standstill. "Depending on the storage space available, material may need to be diverted to an alternate location, which is a costly option and opens up the risk of the supplier electing to bring the material to another processor," says VanDeusen. Once trucks are redirected, even temporarily, suppliers may choose to stay with another processor. Redundant baler capacity helps facilities avoid that scenario altogether by allowing production to continue while repairs are made, keeping material on site and moving through the system. 2. Fewer headaches from material changeovers Single-baler facilities that handle multiple grades can feel the impact of changeovers more than they realize. "When the baler is in operation in facilities where multiple grades or types of materials are processed, there are inefficiencies associated with the material switch-over times," says VanDeusen. Each change requires operators to pause production, clear material, and reset the system — interruptions that ripple upstream. Over the course of a shift, that lost time can eat into overall throughput. Redundant balers help smooth out those disruptions. 3. Simplified maintenance and parts management "Having two identical machines can provide a tremendous amount of value," says VanDeusen. "Operators know the machine well; one set of maintenance parts can serve both machines, and the downtime can be handled by the other machine." This standardization reduces response time during repairs and allows technicians to develop deeper expertise with the equipment. 4. Stronger preventive maintenance programs Redundancy makes preventive maintenance easier to execute. "Being able to run a true preventive maintenance program is more palatable to the operations team because they don't have to stop doing what they're doing," VanDeusen says. That approach greatly reduces the likelihood of downtime. 5. Flexibility across materials and bale sizes From a redundancy perspective, two-ram balers often provide the greatest value. Their ability to handle a wide range of materials and bale sizes makes them well-suited to redundancy-focused layouts and allows operators to adapt quickly when conditions change. This versatility strengthens redundancy by ensuring either baler can step in without limiting material options. 6. A clearer view of true operating costs When it comes to baler redundancy, many operators struggle to justify the upfront capital investment required for more than one baler. VanDeusen says this is often driven by an incomplete view of downtime costs. "The true cost of being down is sometimes hard to quantify. The lost revenue of production is only a piece of this equation," he says. "The inefficiencies of running a multi-grade facility with one baler, the cost of unexpected redirection of tons, and the possible loss of supply if tons have to be redirected all must be considered in the baler purchase decision." Planning for baler redundancy For baler redundancy to be effective, infeed conveyors must be designed to feed either baler with the full volume of material. Without that flexibility, redundancy exists on paper but not in practice. "The design of the MRF needs to ensure that infeed conveyors to each machine can handle all of the material available to allow for maximum redundancy protection," says VanDeusen. "Having multiple balers, but each targeted for specific grades or types of material, limits the redundancy effect of having more than one baler." When the decision to add redundancy is driven by high volumes of the same material, using two identical balers can be highly beneficial. Operators are already familiar with the equipment, a single set of maintenance parts works for both machines, and any downtime — whether planned or unexpected — can be managed by running the other unit. For MRFs focused on resilience and long-term optimization, baler redundancy offers control: control over uptime, control over material flow, and control over customer relationships. That control can be the difference between reacting to problems and staying ahead of them. This article originally appeared in the January/February 2026 edition of Recycling Product News. 

After seven years as a project manager for Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Chris Sansevieri is taking a position on the company's sales team and will oversee Southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii. 

As of the beginning of 2026, households across Ontario will benefit from a new producer-funded, province-wide recycling program that makes it easier to recycle more materials. WM is supporting this enhanced system with two new processing facilities, which are now open and have begun operations in Cambridge and the Greater Napanee area. What's improved with the new recycling system?

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) have entered into a new partnership designed to strengthen collaboration, expand industry education, and accelerate progress toward a safer and more sustainable, circular economy.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the Q4 2025 quarterly reports for boxboard and containerboard. 

The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a North American coalition advancing scalable polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling solutions, has entered into a strategic collaboration with R3vira, a Mexico City-based organization committed to community-driven polystyrene recovery across Latin America's largest metropolitan area.  

Large amounts of plastic packaging still end up in incinerators with valuable resources lost forever. A closed-loop recycling system with conscientiously designed packaging could transform used packaging into new products.  PET packaging offers the perfect solution: Lightweight, easily moldable, and highly recyclable. Cost-effective processing. Approved for food contact and extends product shelf life.