Recycling processors report that early September pricing for recovered plastic packaging rose slightly over August levels.

Bales of natural HDPE bottles were bid at about 30 cents per pound (truckload of bales picked up in the eastern U.S.). This is up approximately 4 percent. PET bottles opened the month at a value of 15 to 16 cents per pound, up slightly from the month earlier.

Industry observers, however, are closely watching the market impact of Hurricane Harvey on the value of resins, given the numerous monomer and polymer plant closures in the Houston area, America’s largest plastics-making region. Analysts are predicting that resin prices will move higher in mid-September as a result of the storm.

Markets research firm IHS Markit recently provided an update on the impacts of Hurricane Harvey on chemicals production, including for plastics.

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