Recycled Materials
Still a Bargain
These days, everyone is talking about being 鈥済reen.鈥 That spurs recycling activity, which should mean more availability of recycled material and lower prices. But the other side of the coin is growing demand for reclaimed plastics.
Read MoreYour Business Recycle Pricing - December 2007
Recycled products are in hot demand as virgin resin prices continue to escalate. As a result, recycled PS prices have gone up 3垄 to 8垄 over the past year, and recycled PVC in some markets has risen up to 10垄/lb. Still, recycled material remains more affordable than virgin, but it is getting tougher and tougher to find. However, the outlook for recycled pricing and demand 2008 is as uncertain as the future state of the U.S. economy.
Read MoreClean and Upgrade Recycled PET
Two recently developed technologies are said to make high-quality PET recycling more economical.
Read MoreRecycled Materials Face Market Glut
In recent months, virgin resin markets began to slacken in tandem with slower housing starts and automobile sales. While recycled resin markets were not affected immediately, they are now starting to feel the slowdown, at least in PET and HDPE.
Read MoreRecycled Resin Prices Heading for a Turnaround
After a spring of soft prices, signs point to firming and possible increases ahead. Housing starts are down, but automotive manufacturing seems to be holding its own. Both markets are big users of recycled plastics. Stronger prices for virgin resins also suggest higher recycled resin prices lie ahead.
Read MoreRecycled Prices Soften
Virgin resin prices started to soften at the end of 2005, and recycled resin prices have followed suit. Most reprocessors believe the big price hikes of the last couple of years have probably ended, but prices still are likely to rebound by April, since demand for many materials increases in the spring and summer.
Read MoreRecycled PET/PE Alloys Show Promise In Monofilament, Pallets, Pipe
Alloys of polyethylene and recycled PET were the highlight of the annual SPE Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC) in Detroit in February.
Read MoreCommingled Plastic Waste: New Gold Mine for Automotive Processors
Instead of going to landfills, previously unusable mixed waste like auto shredder residue is yielding a new trove of inexpensive engineering resins for car parts. Sortation technologies derived from the mining industry can pull out usable ABS, PC, acrylic, PP, TPO, and PPO alloys.
Read More