Report identifies new demand for mixed recycled PE film

The Plastics Industry Association, Washington, has released its Phase II Technology Package report from its New End Market Opportunities (NEMO) Film Recycling Demonstration Project. The association launched this project in early 2017 to identify opportunities and applications for recycled polyethylene (PE) film.

Phase II demonstrated that recycled PE can be functionally used in structural applications and proved to be a good, low-cost feedstock for advanced recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling.

When used in film applications, such as shopping bags, the material proved functional, yet presented aesthetic limitations. This gives converters an opportunity to work with brands and help shift aesthetic requirements to accommodate a wider range of postconsumer recycled (PCR) content, according to the association.   

Phase II took physical samples and technical data from Phase I and created real-world testing opportunities for the materials across a wide range of industry sectors and product applications. Participating companies included Amcor, Bearlocher, Charter NEX, Command Packaging, Continuus Materials LLC, Interfacial, Midland Compounding, Nova Chemical, Ravago Recycling Group, RePoly, Series One, LLC Engineering Consultants and Solupac.

“Everyone has a role to play in helping to ensure the process of recycling is as effective as it can be,” says Kim Holmes, vice president of sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association. “Identifying new demand for recycled PE films will greatly help to counterbalance the oversupply of film in the market today. By undertaking this type of new end market explorations together, and in a precompetitive space, we advance everyone’s understanding of this material and help identify new opportunities for recycled plastics more quickly.” 

Following this report, the Plastics Industry Association is exploring the opportunity to use recycled PE films to enhance the performance of asphalt used for parking lots and roadways, which could eventually represent significant, new annual demand in the range of hundreds of millions of pounds, the association says.

Click here to access the full Phase II Technology Package from the NEMO Film Recycling Demonstration Project.