Scrap natural and color HDPE prices have increased by 32% and 40% over the past month, continuing a recent rebounding in plastic bale prices.
Natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from curbside collection programs is now averaging 59.03 cents per pound, compared with 44.56 cents last month. The price was 76.31 cents this time last year.
Color HDPE is following natural’s lead in November, trading now at 9.00 cents per pound, compared with 6.41 cents this time last month, marking an increase of 40%. It averaged 39.81 cents one year ago.
Prices for color and natural HDPE started falling in the June-July timeframe, but they have been slowly rebounding over the past two months.
The national average price of PET beverage bottles and jars is up again this month, as well. PET bales are now selling for an average 10.13 cents per pound, compared with 8.50 cents per pound this time last month, or an increase of about 19%. PET was trading at 19.34 cents one year ago.
The national average price of polypropylene (PP) is unchanged, trading at 5.38 cents per pound. PP was 23.25 cents one year ago.
The national average price of Grade A film is down again, now at 17.81 cents per pound, compared with 19.50 last month and 20.75 cents one year ago.
Grade B film is still 6.94 cents.
Grade C film dropped from 0.88 cents last month to 0.50 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.
