HDPE natural post-consumer resin (PCR) prices rose 3 to 4 cents per pound last week on the U.S. East Coast, due in part to a late-week bid offering sale of natural scrap bales at 37.1 cents per pound to recycling giant Waste Management. Shortages of material from prime HDPE suppliers are also increasing demand for PCR from end-users, adding to...

Prices for recycled LDPE and LLDPE, film grade, moved sharply higher last week, following the upward movement in the prime market. Recycled LDPE film grade in pellet form was reported sold in the low-40-cents-per-pound range delivered Midwest (38 to 40 cents per pound picked up). That’s up nearly a dime from prices reported earlier in the month. Prices for recycled...

In the recycled PET market, prices for various grades of pellet and flake material have increased so far in March. Clear U.S. Food and Drug Administration-grade pellets were sold at 60 cents per pound picked up U.S. South (63 cents per pound delivered Midwest) around March 10, up 1.5 cents per pound from the beginning of the month. PET food-grade...

Prime polystyrene prices have been rising since late 2016, but the recycled polystyrene market has shown little movement to date. U.S. domestic prices for high impact polystyrene (HIPS) rose over 16 cents per pound from 89 cents per pound in mid-December 2016 to $1.055 per pound in mid-March 2017. Similarly, domestic general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) in that same period increased...

Recycled white PVC pipe regrind was offered last week at 25 cents per pound delivered East Coast. Mixed colors of the same was offered at 20 cents per pound delivered to locations in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, down 2 cents per pound from the previous week. U.S. imports of PVC scrap totaled 21,476 metric tons in 2016, up...

HDPE HMW pellet and flake prices rose 2 cents per pound last week on the back of strong demand from the end-user sector. In the U.S. South, tight supplies of scrap drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), the raw material for recycled pellet and flake, was also reported. Repro business was done at 45 to 48 cents per pound and...

Prices for prime nylon 66 and off-grade material began rising in January and recycled material is following suit. Nylon 66 post-industrial black pellets were discussed at 74 to 76 cents per pound and nylon 66 unfilled mixed colors flakes at 56 to 58 cents per pound, both FOB U.S. South and both 4 cents per pound higher than prevalent pricing...

Prices for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-sanctioned clear PET pellets moved up a penny last week to 58 to 59 cents per pound on the U.S. East Coast. That upward momentum corresponded with a strengthening in the prime PET market. Bottle-grade domestic prime PET averaged 56.3 cents per pound in January, up 1.1 cents per pound from December. February bottle-grade...

HDPE post-industrial fractional melt repro and regrind prices increased by 3 to 4 cents per pound last week in eastern U.S. markets, shadowing the price direction of prime HDPE. Mixed-color pellets were done at 35 to 39 cents per pound delivered (33 to 37 cents per pound FOB) to locations in Florida, the Carolinas and West Virginia. Post-industrial black pellets...

HoPP injection flake and pellet prices increased 4 to 5 cents per pound last week on robust post-holiday season demand from compounders and auto parts manufacturers. The increase was also driven by an early-January rise in prime polypropylene prices. HoPP regrind prices hit the lowest levels in over a year at the very beginning of 2017, with mixed-color material slipping...