Consequently, while polyethylene terephthalate PET bottles can be readily recycled back into PET bottles, PP often is recycled into nonfood-packaging applications, such as crates and bins, or ends up in landfills or incinerators. Current technologies limit recyclers from sorting plastic by polymer type. Identifying what the product once contained has been a nearly impossible task. With no effective way to differentiate between a bleach bottle and a milk bottle of the same polymer type, the plastic scrap sector has suffered from a severe lack of value creation and, therefore, investment.
As policymakers, governments and organizations around the world continue to explore ways to reduce or eliminate the amount of plastic packaging sent to landfills, the debate around food-grade recycled PP, which could easily be recycled otherwise, has been thwarted by this inability to properly identify it during the sorting process.
Food-grade plastic has been the most complex to obtain because of the risks associated with recycled plastics potentially containing toxic chemicals that could be dangerous to human health. Up until now, recyclers have not been able to differentiate and capture specific materials and separate food from nonfood packaging. However, a new technology could change this. An identification technology for food-grade-quality material has the potential to transform the sorting process in recycling facilities.
A British consortium has developed technology that has been designed to rapidly and efficiently distinguish between food-grade and nonfood-grade polymers, identify black plastics and tag full-length shrink-sleeves. Plastic Packaging Recycling using Intelligent Separation technologies for Materials PRISM applies high performing luminescent materials to labels on plastic packaging, creating what is best described as an invisible barcode for plastics recycling.
Fluorescent markers that are produced from materials recovered from fluorescent lamp recycling, not rare-earth-based compounds, are printed on labels or plastic packaging sleeves. As the mixed plastics run along a conveyor belt, the high-speed sorting system is illuminated by an ultraviolet UV light source that identifies and reads the coded PRISM label.
Jets of air propel the plastic containers into the appropriate recycling category. They are the third and fourth generations of Novy family descendants to do so. Despite the encroachment, the Shapiros say they have no plans to leave the downtown yard.
The Shapiros established a second facility outside of the city in That yard measures 22 acres. Bobby, president of Austin Metal, Jim and Ike say they each knew from an early age that they wanted to work in the family scrap business. This type of family interest can be hard to maintain from generation to generation. Bobby encouraged Ike and Jim to work outside of the family business after graduating from college to broaden their knowledge base.
After graduating from college, Jim went to work for Longhorn Recycling and Newell Recycling in San Antonio, while Ike worked briefly in the banking industry before joining Houston-based Allied Alloys, where he worked for eight years. Ike officially joined Austin Metal eight years ago, while Jim has been with the company since Despite their official titles, Jim says he, Bobby and Ike tend to share the responsibilities of managing the yards. Ted Kane, who runs the office at the downtown location, has worked for the company nearly 30 years.
Austin Metal has returned that loyalty in kind. This philosophy has led Austin Metal to form long-term relationships with suppliers and consumers, Bobby says. The company has roll-off containers and trailers that it will place with its scrap generating customers and a fleet of trucks that it uses to transport material.
The Shapiros say the flow of scrap into their yards has been slower than usual this spring. Buying also has been muted, particularly for nonferrous scrap, and consumers are more mindful of quality. It starts at the lower grades and trickles down to some of the primary grades.
While Austin Metal has been affected by the market upheaval, he says the company has been able to adjust. We are willing to go through the growing pains to level the playing field. Such an attitude can be expected from a company that has persisted for more than years and wants to ensure it reaches the fifth generation of family ownership. The author is editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted at dtoto gie. Our robotic sorters meet specs that no other robotic sorter can match. Both positive, negative and mixed sorts are achieved through simple training methods.
FYI: Just because a product has the chasing arrows symbol, doesn't mean it's recyclable — it's just an indicator of the type of plastic. Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute , our team is passionate about sustainability and the environment. From helping you decode eco-friendly claims to sharing the winners of our Sustainable Packaging Awards and our Sustainable Innovation Awards , we're here to help you make smarter decisions for your home and the environment.
First, read up on recycling tips from our environmental experts. Every town and city has different recycling programs, so you'll often have to check your location's rules to find out exactly what you can recycle. Plus, "there are times when your recycling program may change what it collects," says Mike Brown of Brown and Wilmanns Environmental , one of our environmental consultants. Even if there isn't a way for your town to recycle a certain material, he says there's still a chance they might collect it anyways and either store it or dispose of it.
Of course, the symbols themselves need explaining, too. Here's what each plastic recycling symbol means , along with examples it's found in and how to recycle it.
PET or PETE polyethylene terephthalate is the most common plastic for single-use bottled beverages, because it's inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to recycle.
It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Found in: Soft drinks, water, ketchup, and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers.
How to recycle it: PET or PETE can be picked up through most curbside recycling programs as long as it's been emptied and rinsed of any food. There's no need to remove bottle labels because the recycling process separates them.
Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, bottles and food containers as long as the plastic being recycled meets purity standards and doesn't have hazardous contaminants. HDPE high density polyethylene is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially when it comes to packaging.
It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many types of goods. Found in: Milk jugs; juice bottles; bleach, detergent, and other household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners. How to recycle it: HDPE can often be picked up through most curbside recycling programs, although some allow only containers with necks.
These pellets are then ready for use in the production of new products. Efforts to improve PP recycling have been ongoing. Nextek Ltd. The Nextek developed process involves two steps. The products made following this process can be blended with virgin PP at a rate up to 50 percent. But the primary challenge of polypropylene recycling is to increase the rate of polypropylene recycling and at the same time to eliminate the dangerous impact of improper disposal, however.
As mentioned above, currently nearly 1 percent of PP is recycled. Only the development of new and innovative technologies help overcome this enormous challenge. The goal was to recycle polypropylene into "virgin-like" quality. The demand for recycled polypropylene in the marketplace is massively underserved.
The initial PureCycle recycling operation was slated to begin in January It will test and calibrate the PP recycling process before opening a full production plant in
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