Are all Plastics Equally Valuable to Recycle?
Plastic bottles rank among the nation’s top-recycled materials, yet millions of tons of plastic end up in landfills each year.
At Quincy Recycle, we work with businesses and manufacturers to divert recyclable Post-Industrial plastics from landfills and maximize the value of their plastic loads.
Not all plastics are equally valuable to recycle: different types have fluctuating market prices and uses. However, customers can increase the value of their plastic loads by taking proactive steps in their waste streams.
Types of Recyclable Plastics
The value of recycled plastic largely depends on its type, quality, and cleanliness. For example, clean, clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET – type 1) plastic, like water bottles, and high density polyethylene (HDPE – type 2) are often more valuable than colored or opaque plastics. However, not all Post-Industrial scrap plastics are perfect, some may be in purge form or some other type of hard to handle shape.
Other types of plastics, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE – type 4) and polypropylene (PP – type 5), can still hold recycling value for both businesses and the economy. We’ve been in the industrial recycling industry for nearly fifty years and have helped companies nationwide identify successful waste-stream opportunities.
How to Increase the Value of Your Plastic Scrap
Keep Plastics Free from Contaminants
Post-Industrial Plastic loads should be clean. Contaminants make the recycling process more difficult and less efficient. Contaminated plastics also often require additional processing or can only be recycled into lower-quality products, reducing their market value.
Plastic contaminants include:
- Food waste
- Chemical residues
- Paper labels and stickers
- Metal parts and screws
- Glass fragments
- Textiles and fabrics
- Other types of non-plastic materials
Sort by Type
Plastics come in many types, each identified by a resin identification code (1 through 7). Sorting plastics by these codes helps ensure they go through the correct recycling or disposal process.
Mixed-commodity trailers are convenient, but they aren’t always the best option for the client. When you send us trailers loaded with similar-quality plastic loads, we can more effectively find appropriate buyers for your material. Buyers often look for specific types of plastic in good condition that can be recycled into high-quality new products. When recyclable materials (such as metal with plastic) mix, it can change the processing and recyclability but Quincy Recycle can still manage the material.
Maintain Consistent Quality
Manufacturers can take proactive steps to grade their plastic waste by keeping premium-quality plastics separate from those that have been extensively used, contaminated, or degraded. Higher-quality plastics (without discoloration, degradation, or impurities) usually fetch higher prices.
You can also improve the value of your recyclable plastics by:
- Educating employees about the importance of recycling and how to do it correctly
- Ensuring that collection and storage processes don’t introduce more contaminants
Not all plastics are equally valuable to recycle, but manufacturers can take steps to improve the value of their plastic recyclables.
At Quincy Recycle, we help our customers effectively manage waste streams and reduce the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills regardless of contamination or form.
Our team works closely with each customer to develop a customized waste management plan that maximizes the value of their recyclable materials and supports their sustainability goals.
Are you interested in recycling your plastic waste? Call us at 800.311.6097 or fill out our contact form to start the conversation!