Post-consumer plastic values are down nearly across-the-board this month, with materials recovery facilities reporting a particularly steep drop in HDPE pricing.
Natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pricing from curbside collection programs dropped 27% month over month and is now at a national average of 76.31 cents per pound. This compares with 104.25 cents last month. Several regions are still reporting prices around 80.00 cents per pound.
Natural HDPE has been steadily climbing throughout 2021 until it reached a record high of 108.44 cents in September. The price was 63.00 cents one year ago.
Other plastics are almost all down this month but remain way up year over year.
The national average price of post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars dropped by 15% this month. The price now averages 19.34 cents per pound, compared with 22.78 cents per pound this time last month. Some regions are still trading as high as 25.00 cents per pound. One year ago, PET was trading at 6.25 cents per pound.
Following natural HDPE, the national average price of color HDPE is also down, now trading at 39.81 cents per pound, compared with 54.19 cents last month. This grade averaged 16.75 cents one year ago.
The national average price of post-consumer polypropylene (PP) is now at 23.25 cents per pound, compared with 32.69 cents last month. PP was 5.63 cents one year ago.
The national average price of Grade A film remains steady, now at 20.75 cents, compared to 20.63 cents per pound last month and 8.88 cents one year ago.
Grade B film is now 7.38 cents, compared to 7.56 last month.
Grade C film is still averaging 0.88 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.
