Scrap plastic film has doubled in value, creating new opportunities for recyclers of the material, according to a presenter at the recent 2006 Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC).
Plastic film such as pallet wrap used in warehouses and distribution centers is now fetching up to 24 cents per pound on the market, up from about 11 cents per pound in 2004, according to Daniel Schrager, president of NextLife Recycling, Delray Beach, Fla.
The increased pricing represents a vibrant export market for the material, says Schrager. “Until recently, there were very few markets for recovered films [and] a dependence on one industry—composite lumber,” he told attendees.
Higher oil and virgin resin prices combined with the export markets and some new North American consumers have livened up the market. Schrager says the future could hold even better market conditions if the film can be recycled into post-consumer resins, which is the aim of NextLife Recycling.
The company produces 100 recycle-grade resins used by makers of trash pails, recycling bins, pallets, park benches and other products.
NextLife is using film scrap as well as plastic bag scrap as feedstock for its line of secondary resins. The challenge for NextLife and other companies trying to establish a collection infrastructure to obtain adequate feedstock, says Schrager.
If collection points can be established in stock rooms and distribution centers for film and at retail locations for plastic bags, the recovery rate for these types of plastic may be able to soar from the current 3 percent to 5 percent level.
For plastic bags, that will mean raising the awareness of recyclability in the minds of household consumers. “Consumers . . . must understand that the bags are recyclable [and] we must provide outlets for consumers to recycle plastic bags,” said Schrager.
Collecting the bags through municipal curbside programs is also being urged by NextLife. Schrager says only about 30 programs now include plastic grocery bags, though as many as 100 other cities are considering the idea.
“Plastic film recycling will be the next recycling success story,” Schrager stated. “The framework exists today to scale up the recovery of plastic film. Through cooperative efforts of waste generators, recyclers and processors, educators and legislators, closed-loop recycling and all its benefits can be realized.”
The GPEC 2006 event, organized by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), took place in Atlanta in late February and early March.