How to Choose Bulk Material Handling Equipment for Recycling

Bulk material handling equipment helps operations process high volumes efficiently. Before choosing a machine, evaluate material type, volume, reach, undercarriage, cab visibility, attachments, safety and remote monitoring.

Remember the claw game at the arcade when you were growing up? The claw lowered, and the grapple either grabbed a prize or came up empty-handed. Material handlers are the heavy-duty, industrial versions of those games — the ultimate recycling equipment for bulk materials.

You can typically find a scrap material handler working tirelessly at recycling facilities or bulk waste processing centers to ensure that materials are collected, sorted, lifted, loaded and processed in a timely manner. 

However, finding the right machine for your operation comes down to evaluating several essential specifications. Let's break down the main considerations.

What Is Bulk Material Handling Equipment?

Material handlers are highly specialized pieces of equipment for recycling and waste management applications. Resembling excavators, these robust machines manage bulk solids collection, handling, sorting, processing and disposal.

Built with an optimized arm and boom, they are almost always paired with specialized material handler attachments to maximize efficiency. Fine-tuned hydraulic systems enable operators to use intuitive joysticks to grab, lift and skillfully place objects for bulk-loading containers or processing lines.

What Materials Will the Equipment Handle?

A dedicated scrap material handler is engineered to process various types of recyclables. Knowing exactly what moves through your yard dictates how you configure your fleet. Common materials include:

• Ferrous metal (such as iron and steel)
• Non-ferrous metal (such as aluminum, copper and brass)
• Cardboard for recycling
• Plastic for recycling

How Much Capacity, Reach and Lift Height Do You Need?

When you are evaluating your scrap metal recycling or waste processing needs, baseline volume and lifting capacity are your starting points. 

Consider the specific types of material your company handles, your daily waste volume, and the average size and weight of the materials your machine will lift.

From there, look closely at your vertical and horizontal requirements. Material handlers are the backbone of loading and unloading operations. 

Whether a machine is removing inbound material from a truck or railcar or lifting and loading processed goods for outbound shipment, reach is critical. Determine exactly how far the machine needs to reach horizontally and your maximum vertical height requirements.

Should You Choose a Wheel or Tracked Material Handler?

When weighing a wheel vs. tracked material handler, your choice will depend on the ground conditions of your job site.

• A wheel material handler is ideal if you are working on finished, solid surfaces like concrete or asphalt where mobility, speed and moving between different areas of the yard are priorities.
• A tracked material handler performs best on unfinished dirt, uneven scrap yards or ground that frequently gets soft and muddy from rain or snow, providing a highly stable footprint.

What Cab and Visibility Features Matter Most?

Visibility is everything in high-density sorting yards. While many base cabs are fixed, opting for a hydraulic rising cab is a game-changer for safety and efficiency. With this feature, operators can safely enter the cab at ground level, then elevate the cab to a higher vantage point. 

This gives them an enhanced view when peering into high-sided trailers, railcars or sorting hoppers, reducing blind spots and preventing structural damage during loading.

Which Attachments Fit Recycling and Scrap Applications?

One popular feature of some material handlers is a hydraulic rising cab. While many material handler cabs are fixed, consider a hydraulic rising cab. Operators can enter the cab at ground level, then raise the cab for enhanced visibility when unloading or loading materials.

Your choice of attachment is dictated by the specific material your machine is handling:

• Grapple Attachment: Allows operators to easily open and close heavy-duty tines to grab loose, bulky or bundled scrap.
• Magnet Attachment: Used to efficiently sweep, connect to and lift magnetic ferrous metal items from pile to pile.
• Clamshell Bucket: A smart alternative for loose materials and fine aggregates, or for sorting non-ferrous metal variations that a magnet cannot attract.
• Shear Attachment: Equipped with powerful blades to cut large pieces of structural metal into smaller, manageable sections before they are sent to a furnace for refining.

Once scrap is sorted, these attachments can efficiently place it into broader waste processing equipment setups. This includes bulk material handling systems like conveyor belts or bucket elevators to transport materials to the next stage of processing.

What Safety and Monitoring Features Should You Review?

Today’s material handlers are sophisticated, tech-forward machines designed to protect your crew and your bottom line.

New safety features enable operators to work more confidently in tight spaces. Standard rearview cameras and optional smart around view monitor (AVM) camera systems drastically enhance visibility around the machine's tail swing. Object detection systems alert operators via radar or sensors if the machine gets too close to a ground worker or obstacle.

DEVELON material handlers come standard with the MY DEVELON fleet management system for remote monitoring, diagnostics and predictive machine maintenance. This allows you to track real-time reports on machine usage and fuel consumption, better understand operator behavior, lower operating costs, and respond faster to maintenance issues before they cause costly downtime.

But, true site safety requires pairing these advanced machine features with comprehensive operator training.

Because modern material handlers are highly technical — featuring multi-functional display panels and selectable power or lifting modes — all operators are required to have a mix of classroom and hands-on instruction.

• Master the Manuals: Before operating, your team must understand the machine’s controls, gauges and signals. A critical tool for this is the manufacturer’s Operation and Maintenance Manual, which should be kept in the cab (or as a digital PDF) for quick reference alongside safety manuals from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
• Leverage Dealerships: Dealer service technicians possess the product knowledge to explain recent technology updates, host live demonstrations and teach your operators how to get high performance from the machine.
• Daily Safety Habits: Your operators must follow ground safety guidelines, such as wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) — including hard hats, safety shoes, safety glasses, heavy gloves, hearing protection and reflective clothing. They should always wear their seatbelt, wear tight-fitting clothing to avoid snag points, and maintain three points of contact on grab handles and steps when entering or exiting the cab.

Before beginning a shift, operators should perform a routine walk-around inspection to look for broken or damaged components, check fluid levels, and clear flammable debris from the engine compartment.

A well-trained operator is your first line of defense against unexpected downtime.

When Should You Use Wheel Loaders or Support Equipment?

Beyond dedicated material handlers, a well-rounded recycling yard relies on other versatile machinery to keep material moving:

• Wheel Loader: A rugged wheel loader is frequently paired with a grapple bucket to grab, lift, carry and unload large volumes of bulk waste across the yard floor, clearing space around processing and production lines.
• Pallet Fork: Equipping support machines with a pallet fork attachment allows operators to quickly unload palletized goods from trailers or organize items on storage racks until they can be properly processed.

Finding the right long-term bulk material handling equipment for recycling yards includes comparing materials, reach, attachments and site conditions. Explore our full lineup of high quality material handlers and wheel loaders, or request a custom equipment demonstration for your yard.