The price of PET took a dive over the past month, but the value of natural HDPE climbed substantially.
Post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars dropped again, from 13.63 cents per pound this time last month to the current average price of 10.72 cents per pound. This time last year recycled PET was trading at an average 16.19 cents per pound.
The price of post-consumer natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from curbside collection programs is up 18% this month. The national average price is now 25.88 cents per pound, compared with 21.94 cents this time last month. One year ago, this grade was at 38.25 cents per pound.
Meanwhile, the national average price of color HDPE dropped slightly over the past month, now trading at 9.94 cents per pound. Last month, the price was 10.00 cents per pound. One year ago, this grade was trading at 14.44 cents per pound.
The national average price of post-consumer polypropylene remains constant, still trading at 12.38 cents per pound. One year ago, this grade was trading at 10.38 cents per pound.
The national average price of film grades remains steady this month, with Grade A film still trading around 9.00 cents per pound. By comparison, this grade traded at 9.31 cents per pound one year ago.
Grade B film is still 4.63 cents per pound, while Grade C film is trading at a nominal 1.38 cents per pound.
These prices are as reported on the Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) Index. This pricing represents what is being paid for post-consumer recyclable materials in a sorted, baled format, picked up at most major recycling centers.
For a free trial to SMP’s Online Post-Consumer Pricing Index, visit the Recycling Markets website. You can also contact Christina Boulanger-Bosley at cmb@recyclingmarkets.net or 330-956-8911.
