Not every business is ready to buy recycling equipment outright. Maybe your volume is growing but not yet fully established. Maybe you’re opening a new location and want to confirm your cardboard volume before committing capital to a purchase. Maybe you’d rather preserve cash for core operations and equipment. Or maybe you simply want the flexibility to scale up or switch equipment as your needs change — without being locked into owning a machine that may not fit where your business is in two years.
That’s exactly what baler rental is for.
Altitude Recycling Equipment rents vertical balers and horizontal balers to businesses across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, and New Mexico. No large upfront cost. Maintenance covered. Flexible terms. And the same local service relationship you’d get if you bought the equipment outright.
Here’s what renting a baler looks like for the industries we serve most — and how to figure out whether rental is the right path for your operation.
Why Rent Instead of Buy?
Buying a baler is the right decision for many operations — but not all of them, and not always right now. Here’s when rental makes the most sense:
You’re new or growing. Your operation is generating cardboard but your volume isn’t fully established yet. Renting lets you get a recycling program running immediately without betting capital on a volume projection that hasn’t been proven.
You’re opening a new location. New locations need time to establish their operational rhythm. A rental gets recycling infrastructure in place from day one without the capital commitment of a purchase at a site that’s still ramping up.
You need a temporary solution. Your existing baler is down for repair and you need a replacement to keep operations running. A short-term rental bridges the gap without disrupting your recycling program.
You want to test before you buy. Renting a specific baler type or model before committing to a purchase is a smart way to confirm the equipment fits your space, your volume, and your workflow before writing a larger check.
You prefer operating expense over capital expense. Rental payments are typically deductible as a business operating expense. A purchase is a capital expenditure with a different accounting treatment. Talk to your accountant about which structure is more advantageous for your specific situation.
Maintenance is on us. When you rent from Altitude Recycling, maintenance and service support are included in the relationship. If something needs attention during your rental period, that’s our problem to handle — not yours.
Vertical Baler Rentals
Vertical balers are our most commonly rented equipment — compact, straightforward to operate, and appropriate for a wide range of business types and volumes.
A rented vertical baler handles cardboard, plastic film, and mixed recyclables efficiently. It fits in a standard backroom, receiving area, or back-of-house space, and can be trained on by any employee in under an hour. For most small to mid-size operations, a vertical baler rental is the fastest way to get a recycling program running without any upfront equipment investment.
Vertical baler rentals are a strong fit for:
Grocery Stores and Food Service
Grocery stores receiving consistent daily cardboard from product deliveries benefit immediately from a vertical baler rental — reducing hauling frequency and converting a disposal cost into commodity revenue from day one. New grocery locations and expanding food service operations that aren’t ready to commit to a purchase are ideal rental candidates.
Hotels and Hospitality Properties
Hotels generate consistent cardboard from housekeeping supplies, food and beverage deliveries, and amenity shipments. A vertical baler rental keeps back-of-house areas organized and supports sustainability reporting without requiring capital expenditure — making it a natural fit for properties that expense equipment as an operating cost rather than capitalizing it.
Mountain resort properties in Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, and other Colorado mountain communities are particularly well-suited to vertical baler rentals — seasonal volume swings, space constraints, and the preference for operational flexibility over capital commitment all point toward rental over purchase for many resort operations.
Cannabis Dispensaries and Cultivation Facilities
Cannabis operations — particularly newer dispensaries and growing cultivation facilities — often prefer to rent recycling equipment while their volume and operational workflow are still establishing. A vertical baler rental gets your cardboard recycling program running immediately without tying up capital that’s needed elsewhere in a growing operation.
Retail Operations
Retail stores generating consistent cardboard from product shipments — apparel, electronics, home goods, specialty retail — benefit from a vertical baler rental the same way grocery does. New retail locations and expanding chains that haven’t finalized their equipment purchasing strategy rent balers to keep operations clean and efficient while longer-term decisions are being made.
Small and Mid-Size Distribution Operations
Smaller distribution facilities and satellite distribution locations that don’t individually justify the capital cost of a purchased baler can run an efficient recycling program through a rental — keeping receiving areas clear and cardboard managed without the upfront investment.
Horizontal Baler Rentals
Horizontal baler rentals are less common than vertical — the volume threshold that justifies a horizontal baler is higher, and operations at that volume often have the capital to purchase. But there are specific situations where renting a horizontal baler makes real sense.
Horizontal baler rentals are a strong fit for:
High-Volume Distribution and Fulfillment Operations
Large distribution and fulfillment operations that are ramping up volume, transitioning between facilities, or evaluating a horizontal baler upgrade before purchasing benefit from renting a horizontal machine. Running a rented horizontal baler for 60–90 days gives you real throughput data to confirm the right model and configuration before committing to a $40,000–$80,000 purchase.
Seasonal Operations
Operations with strong seasonal volume peaks — holiday fulfillment, agricultural processing, seasonal resort operations — sometimes need horizontal baler capacity during peak periods that they don’t need year-round. A seasonal horizontal baler rental provides high-volume capacity when you need it without paying for equipment that sits underutilized in the off-season.
Temporary Replacement Equipment
When a purchased horizontal baler goes down for major repair, a rental keeps your operation running without halting your recycling program. We can often source a rental replacement quickly — call us at 720-545-5348 if you’re in this situation.
Large Grocery Distribution and Food Service Distribution
High-volume food distribution operations processing 10+ tons of cardboard per week that are evaluating their equipment strategy benefit from renting a horizontal baler while the purchase decision is being worked through internally.
What’s Included in a Rental From Altitude Recycling
When you rent a baler from us, you’re not just renting a piece of equipment — you’re renting the relationship that comes with it.
Delivery and setup. We deliver your rental equipment and make sure it’s installed and operational before we leave.
Operator training. We walk your team through safe, efficient baler operation so they’re confident from day one.
Service and maintenance support. If something needs attention during your rental period, call us. Maintenance and service support are part of the rental relationship — you’re not on your own if the machine needs work.
Flexible terms. We work with your situation — short-term, longer-term, and everything in between. We don’t force you into a contract that doesn’t fit your actual needs.
A path to ownership if you want it. If you’re renting and decide you want to purchase — your machine or a different one — we’ll work with you on that transition. Renting first and buying later is a smart path for operations that want to confirm fit before committing capital.
Rental vs. Purchase — How to Decide
Not sure whether to rent or buy? Here’s a simple framework:
Rent if:
- Your operation is under 12 months old or still ramping up volume
- You’re opening a new location
- You need equipment for a specific project or season
- You prefer operating expense over capital expense
- You want to test a baler type before committing to a purchase
- Your existing baler is down and you need a temporary replacement
Buy if:
- Your volume is established and consistent
- You’ve been renting and confirmed the equipment fits your operation
- Your payback period on a purchase is under 18–24 months
- You want to build equity in an asset rather than make ongoing rental payments
- You qualify for Section 179 or other equipment tax deductions this year
Not sure? Call us at 720-545-5348 and tell us about your operation. We’ll give you an honest recommendation — including telling you if we think buying makes more financial sense than renting for your specific situation.
Where We Rent Equipment
We provide rental equipment and service support across:
Colorado — Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo, Grand Junction, Boulder, Loveland, Longmont, and statewide including mountain resort communities
Wyoming — Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette, Rock Springs, and statewide
Utah — Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden, St. George, and statewide
Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico — call us to discuss availability and logistics for your specific location
Get a Rental Quote Today
Tell us what type of baler you need, your approximate volume, your available space, and how long you expect to need the equipment. We’ll put together a rental quote and get back to you fast.
Call: 720-545-5348 Email: sales@altituderecycling.com → Request Rental Information → Learn More About Our Equipment
Frequently Asked Questions — Baler Rentals
How long is a typical baler rental term? Rental terms are flexible — we work with your situation. Short-term rentals for specific projects or temporary replacement needs, and longer-term arrangements for operations that want ongoing rental without a purchase commitment. Call us to discuss what fits your situation.
Is delivery included in the rental? Call us to confirm delivery details for your specific rental — we’ll be upfront about what’s included and what isn’t based on your location and equipment type.
Who handles maintenance and repairs during the rental? We do. If your rented baler needs service during the rental period, call us and we’ll handle it. You’re not responsible for repair costs on equipment you’re renting from us.
Can I switch from renting to buying? Yes — and it’s a common path. Many of our customers rent first to confirm the equipment fits their operation, then transition to a purchase. Call us when you’re ready to discuss that transition and we’ll work through the options with you.
What if I need a baler quickly — how fast can you deliver? It depends on equipment availability and your location. Call us at 720-545-5348 and tell us your situation — we’ll tell you honestly what we can do and how fast.
Do you rent compactors as well as balers? Yes — we rent compactors in addition to vertical and horizontal balers. Call us to discuss compactor rental options for your operation.
What areas do you rent equipment in? Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Equipment and baling wire also available nationwide.
Altitude Recycling Equipment — Aurora, CO Vertical and Horizontal Baler Rentals for Colorado and Regional Businesses Serving CO, WY, UT, NE, KS, AZ & NM — Equipment Available Nationwide 720-545-5348 | sales@altituderecycling.com