The end and beginning of each year always has detrimental effects on the plastic recycling trade in China. For all those dealing with companies in China, October to February is always going to be rocky. This is because there is a week long holiday in October (National Week), Christmas and New Year in December, and Chinese New Year in January/February. On top of all the national holidays, environmental licenses expire on December 31st making the import of recycled goods unstable and usually more expensive. Its therefore important to time your shipments so you don’t accrue unnecessary fees at the ports.

Even now, environmental license quotas are tight and the government has increased the necessary paperwork required to renew licenses. The Chinese government is doing its job for making the average trader suffer, yet rewarding the larger, more established recyclers.

As the year just started, plastic prices is still somewhat unstable and while buyers have already come to my facilities to purchase, I still waiting for prices to settle before selling inventory. The plastic market recovers a bit now and peaks between March and June. When summer hits, electricity becomes an issue and some manufacturers are placed on schedules where they get electricity only 3-4 days out of the week. With this being said, it’s the perfect time to setup long term deals now and I’m already crossing my fingers for some of my larger deals to go through!

Lastly, I want to end by saying that I’ve learned a lot in 2011 and have learned some very valuable lessons. If you’re new to the recycling business, don’t give up, you’ll get there someday. Be smart, learn from your mistakes, try a new direction, and cross your fingers.

In an article by Heather Wansbrough and David Yuen on plastics recycling, they give us a quick rundown of what happens to plastic products in a recycling plant:

The 5-Step Plastic Recycling Process

1. Collection – Recycling facilities gather available recyclable material in their area, and from roadside collections, special recycling bins, or even directly from industries, post-consumer and post-industrial plastic items are collected.
2. Manual sorting – All items that are collected are then sorted according to the types indicated by the recycling symbols and codes on them. Unnecessary non-plastic materials found in the piles are promptly taken out.
3. Chipping – After sorting, the plastic products are prepared for melting by being cut into small pieces. The sorted plastic items are then fed into a machine which has sets of blades that slice through the material and break the plastic into tiny bits.
4. Washing – At this step, all residue of products originally contained in the plastic items and various other ‘contaminants’ (e.g. paper labels, dirt) are removed. A particular wash solution consisting of an alkaline, cationic detergent in water and a wash tank are used to effectively get rid of all the contaminants on the plastic material, making sure that all items are clean and ready for the final step. During washing, the wash tank agitator serves as an abrasive, stripping the adhesive off any labels and shredding any paper mixed in with the plastics. An alkaline, cationic detergent (which is similar to the formulas used in shampoos and fabric softeners) is used for the task of washing plastics because plastic materials have a positive surface charge, and only positively-charged chemical compounds (which in this case are cationic detergents) can properly clean them, effectively removing dirt and grease.
5. Pelleting – The chipped pieces of plastic are then melted down and put through a machine called an ‘extruder’. The extruder shapes the melted plastic into thin noodle-like tubes. The plastic tubes are then cut into small pellets by a set of rotating knives, which are then ready to be reused and remade into new items.

In the bag

Plastic bags go through the same five-step process as other plastic products, and are also washed and rinsed according to their plastic types. These also go through a ‘chipping’ stage, but in the case of plastic bags, these are chopped rather than chipped. The chopped shreds of plastic bags are then melted down accordingly to go through the pelleting stage.

What’s next?

The recycled plastic pellets are usually sold by the recycling company to other businesses which would then mold the plastic pellets into an assortment of products for various uses. Some products use a combination of recycled plastic pellets and virgin plastic ones. Though people tend to go for fully virgin plastic when available, the value of recycled plastic is undeniable, because recycling cuts down on landfill contribution and the process creates an avenue to reuse plastic, which is a non-renewable resource, which in turn reduces the rate of pollution and promotes overall wellness.

PlasticPlace.com believes in using recycled material in their products, and the company aims to popularize the idea of reusing and recycling through their own unique line of garbage bags made with 80% recycled material (10% of which is post-consumer, 70% post-industrial).

The current recycling plan has long been considered weak by standards of other cities throughout the country. NYC’s plan is not as successful as a number of other large cities such as Portland and Boston, for example. Even smaller cities throughout the Northeast have green programs that are a notch above New York City’s. For example, in Connecticut buying has increased for residents who may have extra recyclable material in their Bridgeport, Hartford or New Haven apartments and homes.

Indeed, New York is one of the few cities in the country with a recycling program that fails to recycle plastics – one of the biggest sources of recyclable trash. When New York curtailed its recycling efforts a few years back, it actually ended up costing the city’s garbage and sanitation department more money than it saved – the extra trash simply ended up shipped to costly landfills out of the city.

Estimates indicate that with the addition of two new NYC-centric recycling plants, the city’s budget might actually free up about $55 million a year. The recycling centers are also creating construction opportunity and jobs for city workers, which is important the current delicate economic climate. What could be better than saving money and creating jobs? Taking care of both with a green recycling program would do just that.

Mayor Bloomberg also cites the importance of improving the city’s identity through green programs. He said, “If we’re going to be the most innovative city in the world, we also have to be the greenest – because that’s how you attract the most talented individuals and most forward-looking companies.” This is a powerful concept in New York, a city that is considered politically left and a home for many vocal activists and actors, and one of the main hubs for business in the United States, but also makes sense from the fiscally minded viewpoint of the conservative right.

New York has always been a political leader of the American east, with heavy ties to Washington and an influence on cities from Chicago to Baltimore. It is hoped by many that the mayor’s ideas on green programs – the concept that they can both be effective and beneficial without being costly – will inspire a common-sense approach to these issues throughout the country.

(Almost) Waste-free Gift Ideas:

1. Nonmaterial gifts can be some of the best. Give away concert or show tickets, or take that person to a cool event that they’ll enjoy. Sharing in the experience can be more meaningful and heartfelt than anything store-bought.
2. Food gifts are awesome! Cookies, cupcakes, and other baked goods are just some examples of things that can spread the holiday cheer. Or create a home-cooked meal for you and your friends to share.
3. Another meaningful idea is to make a charitable donation in the name of your gift recipient.
4. If you do go shopping for gifts, bring a tote bag to carry them in to reduce plastic. Buy useful, thoughtful presents.
5. You can also search on the internet for gifts that are made from reused or recycled material.

Get Creative with Wrapping:

1. Use reusable cloth drawstring bags to stow your presents in. In festive colors and with a little creativity, they can look just as nice as the ones in shiny wrapping paper.
2. Buy reusable gift bags that can be used again and again. Or you can take some clean shoeboxes, wrap them in colored paper, and use those to give your gifts in. Your recipients can reuse these boxes, too.
3. Save your used gift wrap for next year! It’s a creative way to save money and the environment.
4. Shipping something breakable? Use unbuttered popcorn instead of Styrofoam for the filling.
5. Decorate an unwrapped gift with a simple ribbon, or dried leaves and flowers.

Recycle Your Tree:

1. Consider buying a live tree. They’re fresh, smell lovely, and can be replanted outside after the season, or kept indoors in a large pot for use again and again.
2. If you do buy a cut tree, remove all the tinsel, lights, and ornaments before sending it off.

What to do with Leftovers:

1. Trays leftover from office and large home parties can be donated to homeless shelters.
   Spread the Christmas cheer and get in touch with one in your area.

Worried that using plastic is counterproductive to protecting the environment? Don’t worry: Plastic Place’s environmentally friendly bags are made from 80% recycled content; while all of their black bags are made out of 90% recycled material. The company cares about our planet and fully supports the responsible use of plastic in everyday life.

Plastic Place is the responsible choice for all your trash bag, can liner, and contractor bag needs. Visit them today at PlasticPlace.net.

After spending several weeks developing and fine tuning the forum, the Plastic Recycling Forum is finally ready for public use! The goal of putting this forum together is to bring together enthusiasts and professionals to discuss topics, latest trends, and knowledge related to plastic recycling, plastic scrap, and recycled plastics. As plastic recycling is becoming an international concern, it’ll be great to hear what YOU have to say about new regulations, news, methods and technology.

The forum is broken down into several sections:

1) Introductions. This is a place for new members to say “hi” and to share a little about themselves. I guess you can call it an icebreaker. Come on, don’t be shy…

2) Plastic Recycling. This section is dedicated for the general public to ask questions about plastic recycling in general, recycling plastic bottles, recycling plastic bags, and more. If you don’t have a question, share your thoughts on these topics with the rest of us! Do you have any brilliant ideas about plastic recycling you think can save the world?

I envision this section to be fun, education, and inspirational. What are you doing to recycle plastic at home or in your neighborhood. Are you making a difference? I strongly believe many friends with the same aspirations can be met through this forum. Sign up now!

3) Plastic Recycler / Manufacturer. This section is for professionals in the plastic recycling industry to speak up, meet with each other, and possibly share some of your knowledge with the rest of us. It’s a place for newbies in the industry to ask questions for veterans to answer. I’m sure many Recycled Plastic dot Com members will find this section useful.

With your help, we can turn this forum into the largest discussion board related to plastic and plastic recycling! By the way, as this is a brand new forum, I would appreciate if you could sign up, write a couple of posts, and tell me how everything is working. Do you have any suggestions for new topics to add? Is there something broken or incorrect I should know about?

I think I’ve said enough, head over to the Plastic Recycling Forum to get started!

The New Balance newSKY are athletic walking shoes with upper material made from 95% recycled PET material. According to New Balance, every pair of newSKYs are made from approximately 8 PET cola, water, or juice bottles.

Following the motto, “reduce, reuse, recycle,” newSKYs incorporates a minimalist, lace-up design that only weighs 4.1 ounces or 117 grams. The fabric used is called “Eco-fi” and is said to be lighter than cotton and warmer than wool. It’s also quite strong, and can be recycled at end of life.

As per the picture above, the newSKY come in three “neony” colors, grey/blue, grey/green, and grey/pink. The retail price for the NB WW01 newSKY is $94.99. However, you can purchase the same pair of shoes on Amazon.com for $84.99.

Cheers to New Balance for saving the world one shoe at a time!

It’s the first day of the 2011 Resources Recycling Industry Exhibition. I woke up early, hopped onto the subway line 1, exited the Caobao Road (exit door 1), made a left, and walked about 5 minutes to the Shanghai Everbright Exhibition Center (East Hall). After a painless registration process which requires a business card showing you’re in the recycling industry, I was in with a yellow registration tag dangling around my neck.

It’s 9:30 AM and most of the exhibitionists were still setting up their booths. At the entrance, the exhibitors were greeting visitors with a smile and passing out company brochures. They were eager to make the most of their exhibition fees.

All in all, while I didn’t see anything super innovative, I had a wonderful time chatting with some of the companies which ranged from plastic scrap suppliers/buyers to plastic recycling machinery technicians (pelletizers, washing lines, shredders/crushers/granulators, etc…). There were also companies in the rubber recycling industry sharing their developments.

As I’m in the market for a LDPE washing/pelletizing line, I spent most of my time speaking with the technicians at the recycling machinery booths, which were mostly from the Zhangjiagang/Jiangsu area. The companies offered fully automated lines run by conveyor belts with prices between 100K-200K USD. While you would think a machine of this value would at least offer a 5-10 year warranty, the standard warranty is only 1 year. What does that tell you about quality? After the one year period, repair costs will be charged “at cost”.

I also met several suppliers/buyers of plastic scrap that I had wonderful conversations with. Again, while I didn’t learn or see anything innovation, it’s always a pleasure meeting new friends in the plastic recycling industry.

In the USA, 30 million tons of plastic scrap is produced. According to the EPA, only 7% was recycled. The rest either goes into landfills, the ocean, or become litter in the streets and parks. Did you know that plastics buried in landfills sometimes take 1000 years to decompose? Yikes!

The good news is, many large companies and corporations are realizing this and are taking steps to save the planet from the evil villain, plastic. Some examples include:

1. Coca-cola introduced the “plant bottle” which is made from 30% biodegradable plant-based materials.
2. Pepsi, in response to Coca-cola’s invention, introduced a 100% biodegradable bottle.
3. Gillette, a razor company by Proctor and Gamble, introduced a new packaging technology which reduces its plastic usage by 79% which maintaining its high-class look and feel.

While water bottles by Nestle are becoming thinner and thinner (almost to the point where it’ll bend if you apply just small amounts of pressure), there are many cool innovative materials out there which are rarely spoken of.

Did you know that most of the packaging for Dell computers are made from Bamboo? Say bye-bye to Styrofoam (styrofoam is actually plastic based packaging material made from PS, polystyrene) and hello to bamboo! Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plant fibers, up to 24″ per day, that is not only suitable for packaging, it can also be made into comfortable clothing!

Ecocradle is another packaging material made from mushrooms. The amazing thing is, it takes less than a week to grow and it doesn’t require watering, chemicals, and is completely safe and eco-friendly.

Another replacement for styrofoam is cornstarch, which is 100% bio-degradable and can be composted.

It’s always fun writing about new technological improvements in packaging and healthy replacements for plastics. While I do not think plastic can be completely replaced anytime soon, many alternatives are appearing in the market today. Let’s keep up the good work and I look forward to writing about new developments in 2012.

I was in Ningbo (Zhejiang Province) several days ago to visit a friend that recently purchased a TiTech Optical Sorter. Basically, the machine uses a conveyor belt to drive shredded plastic pieces under an optical sensor which then uses an air-jet to pick or “shoot” out the desired plastic type. While the optical sorter can only pick out 1 plastic type at a time, it’s able to separate a wide variety of plastic scrap including ABS, ABS/PC, HIPS, PS, PET, PETG, PVC, PP, etc…

This is definitely a step up from the manual separation of e-scrap plastics, however, the machine has many limitations:

1. The plastic you feed into the conveyor needs to be around 3-5cm.
2. It takes 2-3 passes before the plastic is completely sorted.
3. The sorter is not very sensitive to black or dark pieces.
4. The regrinds need to be clean or relatively clean.

One of the largest issues with plastic recycling is sorting by plastic type. If we can perfect this technology, it would make the recycling of plastic a much simpler process which will lead to the increase of plastics recycled.

Turn a simple 2 liter soda bottle into a 55 Watt light-bulb!

“A Liter of Light” is a program founded by Illac Diaz in the Philippines to bring light to poor communities. The technology, developed by students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, uses a chemical mixture to reflect the sun’s light within dark, enclosed areas.

Building this bottle bulb is simple:

1) Fill a 2-liter water bottle with purified water. Do not use tap water as moss will grow.
2) Add three teaspoons of liquid bleach.
3) Twist the bottle cap back on tightly.
4) Fix onto rooftop.