Sandhill Plastic

Resin production up versus 2009

Domestic resin production is up 7.4 percent, to 24.8 billion pounds, for the first four months of 2010, compared with the same period last year. Production for April 2010 (the most recent data available) was largely flat compared to the same month in 2009, but did manage a slight increase of 0.1 percent, to 6.2 billion pounds. Sales and captive use of plastic resins for the first four months of the year largely kept pace at 24.3 billion pounds — a 5.8 percent increase over the same period in 2009.
The American Chemistry Council, which tracks the data, releases resin production reports monthly through its website.

Cited by Plastics Recycling Update

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APR says “keep the caps on”

The Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) today issued a press release in support of keeping the caps on plastic bottles and containers prior to recycling, settling uncertainty among some recycling program coordinators and materials recovery facility (MRF) operators.
“We want to assure recycling coordinators, MRF operators and other collectors of recyclables that plastics recyclers will process these bottles and recover the caps for recycling purposes,” said APR Chairman Scott Saunders.
APR Executive Director Steve Alexander further clarifies by saying that APR “encourages this practice because we are committed to increasing the available supply and the actual amount of plastics being recycled while at the same time reducing the instances of litter and waste in local communities in North America.”
According to the release, APR member companies report a growing demand for resins such as the polypropylene (PP) commonly found in caps and lids.
The association further offered suggestions for manufacturers of packaging and brand owners to use APR Design for Recyclability Guidelines, noting that, “In this case, the recommendation is that PET and polypropylene bottles, such as beverage containers, use polypropylene caps,” said APR technical director Dave Cornell. “HDPE bottles, such as detergent containers, should use HDPE caps.”

Cited by Plastics Recycling Update

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IBWA offers new recycling plan

The board of directors for the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has endorsed the framework of a new recycling venture aimed squarely at improving local diversion. The blueprint “Material Recovery Program” works by setting temporary recycling goals and then funding diversion through grants from bottled water companies and local governments.
Specifically, the program supports multi-stakeholder, public/private corporations that establish community specific recycling goals, generate grant revenue from producer responsibility fees and public/private contributions, and then dissolve when the aforementioned recycling goals have been reached.
Money from the grants can be used to fund recycling infrastructure, equipment improvements, or community education campaigns. The IBWA says the new program is flexible enough to be tailored to the needs and funding resources available to a variety of communities.

Cited from Plastics Recycling Update

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Task force recommends bag recycling in Illinois

Over $100 million worth of plastic bags and film are landfilled each year in Illinois, according to a new report from the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County Illinois (SWALCO). The report was commissioned by the state legislature in 2007, in lieu of a bill that would have required retailers to provide for the recycling of bags, film and product wrap. It’s based on research gathered from a resulting pilot recycling program of 76 retail locations in Lake County.
In releasing the report, the task force administering the pilot program says that while public education and increased end markets are key components in bag and film recovery, these and other challenges can be successfully overcome, and recommends that the General Assembly again consider legislation to increase the recovery and recycling of bags and film.

Cited from Plastics Recycling Update

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In the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill, will you:

1.  Drive less

2.  Stop buying BP gas

3.  Change nothing

4.  Reduce the use of Plastics

Original poll questions cited through Plastics News (June 2010)

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A recent poll was conducted…

Question was “What would life be without plastics?”

73%   Unbearable

22%   Mildly Annoying

5%     Better

Cited from: Plastics News

PS (keep in mind we use recycled products, so the earth is a better place!)

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Plastic exports edge upward

The volume of plastic scrap exported in March, at 382.97 million pounds, increased by 3.3 percent when compared to its February figure. However, when weighed against March 2009’s position, the volume of exports fell by 8.2 percent.
The weighted average price of recovered plastic exports for March, at 21.10 cents per pound, increased 3.5 percent from its February standing. And, when compared to March 2009, the price rose 22.6 percent.
Through March, at 1.10 billion pounds, the volume of recovered plastics exported improved 12.2 percent over its 2009 year-to-date (YTD) figure. And, at 20.67 cents per pound, the average price through March was also up 23.7 percent over its YTD standing.

Cited from Plastics Recycling News

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Study: Recycled PET, HDPE saves energy, greenhouse gasses

New life cycle inventory (LCI) data for recycled PET and HDPE has found that using each resin “significantly” reduces the environmental impact of products produced made from the materials, according to a study released by The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). LCI data     is used to create life cycle assessments (LCAs) used to measure sustainability of packaging or other products.
“The sustainability profile and analysis for the PET package must not only take into account its recyclability, and the increasing use of recycled PET resin content in new packaging, but also PET’s inherent performance characteristics: lightweight; shatter-resistant; safe; able to preserve taste and other product characteristics on-shelf; and its suitability to be made significantly lighter without sacrificing performance for a variety of product applications,” says Dennis Sabourin, NAPCOR Executive Director.
According to NAPCOR, using the LCI data and information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the total amount of PET post consumer containers recycled in 2008, if reclaimed in the U.S., would require approximately 30 trillion British thermal units (Btu) less energy than what would be used to make the equivalent tonnage of virgin PET resin. Additionally, the corresponding savings in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is 1.1 million tons of CO2 equivalents.
The LCI study, “Final Report — Life Cycle Inventory of 100% Postconsumer HDPE and PET Recycled Resin from Postconsumer Containers and Packaging,” was conducted by Franklin Associates, Ltd. and sponsored jointly by NAPCOR, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), and the PET Resin Association (PETRA).

Cited by Plastics Recycling Update

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Delaware bottle bill to go bye-bye?

Delaware Governor Jack Markell may have saved the Blue Hen State’s bottle redemption system in 2009, with his veto of then-House Bill 201, which looked to repeal the program. However, this time around, it’s not looking so promising for the state’s 28-year-old bottle deposit program, as the Delaware General Assembly has passed a measure that eliminates the program in favor of curbside recycling, and those close to the situation believe Markell will have no quarrels with enacting the bill.
Senate Bill 234 ends the state’s returnable bottle deposit program, replacing it with a four-cent charge imposed on all plastic beverage containers (which would be eliminated after four years), and implements recycling for single-family residences and commercial businesses. Monies generated from the four-cent fee, scheduled to be imposed on December 1st and last until December 1, 2014, would be used to establish the curbside system, an amount estimated to be around $22 million over four years. Fees would be distributed to a newly-created Delaware Recycling Fund and Recycling Grants and Low-Interest Program, both of which would be used to defray the costs of implementation.
As for the curbside collection portion of the bill, it requires the Delaware Solid Waste Authority to cease its collecting of curbside recyclables as of September 15, 2011; instead, requiring municipalities and waste haulers to implement comprehensive recycling programs for the residential sector, by 2013, and the commercial sector, by 2014. The state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control would provide grants to municipalities in control of their own trash collection, as well as to private waste hauling businesses, with the intentions of balancing the costs involved in increasing the amount of trucks and bins needed to ensure program success.
Another notable provision in the bill sets Delaware’s municipal waste recycling target at 50 percent for 2015, rising to 60 percent by 2020. Total recycling rates, including those for business and commercial castoffs, would be set at 72 percent in 2015 and 80 percent in 2020.

Cited by Plastics Recycling Update

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Note to customers:

You will be charged for every pallet used to ship your order.  Our pallets are specifically made to accommodate the plastic sheeting and prevent damages or warping during shipping.

Make sure to ask about the pallet charges that will be added to your final bill.

Usually we allow around 2000-2500 lbs per pallet.

On single roll shipments, we don’t charge for a pallet- it’s a regular rung pallet and those are free of charge.

Thanks!

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