What is the plastic film?

Technically speaking, plastic film is any plastic with a thickness of less than 10mm, and it is usually made of polyethylene (PE) resin, such as common zipper bags, food bags, bubble wrap, agricultural plastic films, etc. At present, the global demand for plastic film continues to rise. Plastic products are difficult to decompose, and if they are not recycled, the harm to the environment is huge. Therefore, the recycling of plastic films is of great significance. So how to recycle plastic film?

Significance of waste plastic film recycling:

In recent years, with the large-scale promotion of plastic film mulching, especially the full-film double-furrow sowing technology, the use of agricultural film has increased year by year, and the problem of “white pollution” has become increasingly prominent. The main component of waste agricultural plastic film is polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene, which is difficult to degrade under natural conditions and has a residual period of more than 20 years. If it is not cleaned and recycled in time, the amount of residual film in the soil will accumulate year by year. After the agricultural film fragments enter the soil, they will change the physical properties of the soil, reduce the air permeability of the soil, seriously affect the growth of the root system of the crops, and lead to the reduction of crop production.

How to recycle plastic film?

To recycle plastic film, we don’t simply put it in the trash, but take it to the designated place. In these PP PE film recycling plants, the plastic film is cleaned, recycled, and granulated through processes such as plastic film cleaning, drying, and granulation. Plastic film particles that have been cleaned and granulated can be recycled again and reused through processes such as film blowing, bag making, and injection molding. Related recommendations: PP PE film washing line is a device for cleaning and recycling plastic films.

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Garbage bag making machine

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What happens when the plastic film is recycled?

During the recycling process, the plastic film comes into the factory in bales, which are then disassembled by hand or by a cutter, and then sent to a shredder to cut into pieces. The film is then washed and inspected for contamination, cleaned, and dried before being recycled. The film goes into an extruder, where heat and pressure melt the plastic. Molten plastic is extruded from an extruder to form thin strands, cooled, and cut into pellets, which are used by manufacturers to produce new plastic film products, plastic containers, crates, pipes, new plastic bags and pallets, and more.

Plastic Film Recycling Challenges

Plastic film recycling programs can only be successful if recyclers accumulate large amounts of material to recycle, which is one reason why plastic film can only be collected at designated locations rather than curbside recycling bins. Large retail stores collect plastic film from consumers and add it to film produced in their own factories.

However, the challenge here is that recycling companies are often not equipped to recycle the plastic film, so the plastic film collected is often not recycled smoothly, and it ends up in a landfill. As far as the United States is concerned, only 5% of the plastic film processing capacity, most of the recycled plastic film comes from retail store pallet packaging because they are cleaner. In addition, the plastic film recycling market is not ideal because it is more profitable to make a new plastic film than to recycle old plastic film, knowing that the cost of collecting, sorting, cleaning, and reprocessing old plastic film is often 100 times that of making a new plastic film, That’s a scary number, and it will take social resources to encourage recycling companies to take action.

Some frequently asked questions

A. Is recycled plastic film sustainable?

Recycling plastic film is more sustainable than throwing it away, but the plastic film itself is never sustainable as it can only be ‘downcycled’ — made into something of lower quality and dependent on the continuation of virgin plastic Production. The cost of recycling plastic film is also 100 times the cost of making a new film.

B. Is something like plastic wrap compostable?

New and innovative plastic films include iterations made from cornstarch and potato waste. These plant-based alternatives decompose into compost piles within six months.

C. How long does it take for an ordinary plastic film to decompose?

Generally speaking, plastic products take 20 to 1000 years to decompose. Because the plastic film is so thin and flexible, its decomposition should be at the low end of the above range.