Labeling on garbage containers – always outdoors in all weathers

The labels for marking of garbage containers are subject to special requirements. They remain outdoors for years and have to withstand UV light, sharp temperature fluctuations, wetness, cleaning liquids and abrasion.

The initial situation

A Danish agency, specialized in communal and administrative projects, requires sample labels in 50 different designs on authentic materials for its presentation project scheduled on short notice. The thrilling request reached our team on a Tuesday. The crucial presentation of our customer took place already two days later in Copenhagen with close-to-production samples.

Sample labels in many versions

All types known to date have been printed overnight under production conditions and then finalized manually, because there was no time to produce any conventional die-cutting plates. The finished prototypes have been brought to a ferry by a courier, and were available to our customer next morning on time for the pitch in Copenhagen. Since we were the only provider who could present ready samples in any design, we could not only win the pitch for us, but also the following main print runs.Basically, it is about the unification of the labeling system for garbage in public and private sectors. The idea behind it is a garbage separation concept as well as the respective labeling catalogue for all garbage types in Denmark, which must be implemented in all Danish municipalities mandatorily until 2023.
 

The challenge

Garbage containers are often made of HDPE (high density polyethylene) und thus have a low surface energy. The lower the surface tension, the harder it is to create a strong and persistent connection or adherence between the label and the container surface. In addition, the containers have numerous convex surfaces, which also must be labeled. Moreover, the labels shall be applicable with gloves without bubbles as well. Conclusively, there was also a specification that the presented solution must not contain PVC.

The combination of materials as well as the adhesive must not change when applied to garbage containers. They must remain absolutely stable despite strong heat, cold, wetness and snow for years. Also mechanical load during the filling or automated emptying must not affect the labeling.

The large-area labels shall have intensive colored motifs and remain legible and do not fade even after a long time, so that a clean separation is guaranteed. Moreover, it is necessary to cover numerous types and formats with quantities from 250 to 250 000 labels per type cost-effectively.

Another requirement of the customer was the creation of a manual so that even unexperienced users can be assigned with the application of hundreds of thousands labels. For that purpose a photo series with explanatory English texts was created, which mostly deals with container areas best to be labeled, the cleaning of adherence spots as well as with the bubble-free application of labels.

The perfect labeling solution for this application

The labels have been printed with UV inkjet method. This allows for a robust imprint, which creates vivid colors and is also proven to be very resistant for outdoor applications. The digital printing method is flexible in regard to the amount of pieces, because it does not require any printing forms. The printing data will be sent directly to the printing machine. In theory, we can print starting with a print run of 1.

The selection of suitable materials

For the material combination a solution had to be found, which can handle the high thermal changes in outdoor area without any problems. Additionally, it had to be taken into consideration that e.g. the changes in temperature can affect the container material as well as the basic foil and the used protective laminate in different ways, which could lead to the damages of labeling like e.g. wrinkling or bubbling.

Therefore, a special plastic foil without PVC parts and with UV stabilizers has been considered as a material, which has been supplemented with a UV protective laminate to protect the imprint additionally. This combination of materials has been tested with a climate change test, which simulates the long-term behavior of the later labeling product under sharpened external conditions.

The testing period covered three years of outdoor weathering in the Middle Europe. The test was successful and confirmed to the product solution no damages like e.g. scratches, bubbles, wrinkles or detachments. As expected, the imprint has lost intensity and radiance due to the strong UV radiation. However, this degrading of imprint was within an absolutely usual scope and low delta-e value (color distance between test start and test end) and hence had no effects on the legibility of the imprint.

The implementation

Within the shortest period of time the digitally printed labels in a variety of types have been manufactured. Here not only imprints and formats have differed, but e.g. labels in big sizes and middle amount of pieces on sheets have been requested for to simplify the manual application. For that purpose flaps or backside slits in the carrier have been included to make the positioning as simple as possible even for the untrained users.

Torben Salomon,
agency’s managing director:

Robos-labels has surprised us in a very positive way on both – the subject of consulting and also during the sampling- and implementation phases. Due to the available experience from the side of robos-labels we could present not only drafts and an offer, but directly palpable solutions, which have convinced at the end. We are really happy to have a common solution which will be available to other municipalities in future as well.”

Customer service

Tel.: +49 (0) 7154 / 8225–90
Fax: +49 (0) 7154 / 8225–22

Customer service

Robos GmbH & Co.KG
Im Moldengraben 47
70806 Kornwestheim
Germany