Film and soft pack recycling faces multiple challenges

Recently, Curt Cozart, COO of the Plastic Recyclers Association of the United States, claimed that the most problematic impurity facing the recycling of plastic film and flexible packaging (FFP) is paper labels. Paper affects the quality of recycled film because it is likely to cause microscopic defects called gels, produce unpleasant odors, and affect the color of the final product. Although plastic labels can be used, this increases the cost of sorting materials.

Collection of post-consumer film is another challenge. Many MRFs are reluctant to accept this film because it tends to entangle the sorting equipment, which poses a safety hazard to the workers responsible for solving the problem and causes losses in machine downtime.

In addition, post-consumer film has a low value. After 2018, the average price of Class B film, which contains 80% film, is only 2-8 cents per pound. The price of Class C film packaging has never been higher than 2 cents per pound. Truck transportation costs 3-5 cents per pound, so the transportation expenses from the collection point to the processor can easily turn film recycling into a negative profit, even before the secondary sorting occurs. Compared to the previous price of PET bottle bricks at 39.56 cents per pound, HDPE has even now exceeded 108.44 cents.

Despite the challenges, companies such as Nova Chemicals and Natura PCR process LDPE and LLDPE films through physical recycling. Both companies target Class A films, which generally contain 95%-99% transparent films, and both have FDA's LLDPE processing process no objection letter.

How chemical recycling works

Although chemical recycling is regarded as a key recycling method for film and flexible packaging, and has appeared in the market as a supplement to physical recycling, the chemical recycling industry is still in its difficult start-up stage. The most commonly used chemical recycling method: cracking can convert multi-layer packaging into useful raw materials, but such projects are generally expensive and require a large amount of low-value raw materials to ensure profitability. According to Eunomia's research, by 2030, the soft film and flexible packaging consumed by residents will reach 7.1 million tons, of which 5.6 million tons can be processed by cracking.

At present, the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for packaging in Canada and the United States is different. This year, the EPR mechanism came into effect in several provinces in Canada. Their approach is to collect a wide range of consumer packaging and then find ways to dispose of it. The United States, on the other hand, establishes a recycling system based on the terminal market and then allows consumers to change their behavior to adapt.

Experts in the Canadian system believe that consumer education can only produce certain results. Some new concepts are too difficult for consumers to understand, such as polymer types, additives, etc. Therefore, "just put it in a box and let us sort it." A report shows that soft plastics account for about 47% of Canada's plastic packaging.