The price of post-consumer natural HDPE tumbled by 23 percent over the past month, putting the value below what it was a year ago. Other key curbside plastics have shown recent stability.
The current national average price of natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from curbside collection programs is 26.63 cents per pound, compared with 34.81 cents this time last month. A year ago the material was trading at 29.97 cents per pound.
The current low price range was last seen in summer 2017, when it was in the range of  26 to 27 cents per pound.
By contrast, the national average price of color HDPE remains comparable to last month, still trading at 14.56 cents per pound. One year ago, this grade was trading at 16.75 cents per pound.
The national average price of post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars dropped slightly over the past month, from 15.16 cents per pound this time last month to the current 15.02 cents per pound. At this time last year, PET was trading at 14.20 cents per pound.
The national average price of PP post-consumer materials inched up marginally over the past month. It is now at 12.81 cents per pound, compared to 12.38 cents per pound in early February. One year ago, this material traded nationally at 9.44 cents per pound.
The national average prices of several post-consumer film grades are marginally up over the past month. Grade A film is now trading in the 9.31-cents-per-pound range, compared with 8.75 cents per pound last month. Grade B film is now trading at 3.50 cents per pound, compared with 2.59 cents per pound last month. Grade C film remains unchanged at 1.44 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.
