Reuse and Recycle - The nature of The Beast
by Michelle Minnoch

With concerns over the environment, specifically reusing and recycling on his mind, Elmer Spring, owner of Spring Tree Farms, recently made a purchase that really makes sense and is already benefitting the community.

Purchasing the 700HP Bandit 3680 Beast Horizontal Recycler, Spring can now recycle logs, stumps, roots, and brush into mulch.

"There's a lot of wood waste," said Spring. "The developers in town and in the local area are finding this to be a great use for them."

The half a million dollar machine was purchased from Brandt Tractor Ltd. in Milton. The machine was made in Michigan. Spring visited the Michigan plant where the machine was manufactured and was impressed with its capabilities.

Working closely with area developers in the past supplying landscaping for developments, The Beast can be rented out for $550 an hour, with a member of Spring Tree Farms running the machine. Elmer said he and some of his employees have been trained on the machine.

The Beast can take up to a 33 inch log and turn it into mulch. Although probably a year away, Spring said the next purchase he would like to make is the compliment to the machine, which would dye the mulch so he can sell it in various colours.

As hi-tech as it can get, The Beast has a large magnet at the top of the machine, to remove any nails that may be in the wood.