The national price of post-consumer natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from curbside collection programs is now 46.38 cents per pound, compared with 25.88 cents this time last month.
In some areas, natural HDPE is trading as high as 52.00 cents per pound. One year ago, the national average for this grade was 38.25 cents per pound. The last similar high was in September 2014, when it reached a national average of 52.69 cents per pound.
The national average price of color HDPE is also up over 30%, now trading at 13.06 cents per pound, compared with 9.94 cents per pound last month. One year ago, this grade was trading at 14.22 cents per pound (for comparison, five years ago, it reached the 30-cents-per-pound level).
Meanwhile, the national average price of post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars dropped for the second month in a row, from 10.72 cents per pound this time last month to 9.80 cents per pound. This time last year, PET was trading at a national average 15.58 cents per pound.
Similarly, the national average price of polypropylene dropped from 12.38 cents per pound last month to 8.75 cents per pound this month. One year ago, this grade was trading at 10.31 cents per pound.
The national average price of Grade A film is now trading at 8.63 cents per pound. By comparison, this grade traded at 9.06 cents per pound one year ago.
Grade B film is still 4.63 cents per pound, and 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.
