The average value of recovered material sent to foreign markets is back under 17 cents per pound. Volumes are up year-over-year, however.
Dan Leif is the managing editor at Resource Recycling, Inc., which publishes Resource Recycling, Plastics Recycling Update and E-Scrap News. He has been with the company since 2013 and has edited different trade publications since 2006. He can be contacted at [email protected]The average value of recovered material sent to foreign markets is back under 17 cents per pound. Volumes are up year-over-year, however.
The plastics recycling sector has recently felt heavy pressure amid price swings in the virgin market. But a leader at one reclaimer says that value conversation may sometimes overshadow another significant issue: getting ahold of enough quality material.
Figures on industry exports indicated upticks for both volume and price in late summer. For the year, exports continue to lag 2015 totals, however.
Exported recovered plastics recently saw prices increase 12 percent year-over-year. Volumes, however, remain down.
Industry exports saw a jump in volume of nearly 4 percent from April 2016, but totals are off significantly from a year ago.
Sector export figures for January 2016 show a drop of just under 4 percent when compared with January 2015 levels.
In the midst of Mardi Gras season, more than 1,600 plastics recycling leaders headed to New Orleans this week for Plastics Recycling 2016. But prices, not parades, were on attendees’ minds.