Tomra Sorting developed Sharp Eye because the percentage of thermoforms in PET bottle bales has been increasing. | Courtesy of Tomra.
PET thermoforms bring special baggage to the recycling process: Optical sorters often fail to differentiate them from bottles, and thermoform flakes are more prone to breaking into fines.
A pelletizing and melt delivery equipment company opened a lab in North Carolina, and a U.S. thermoforms company begins using sheets from resin made partly through a PET depolymerization process.
Most shrink-sleeve labels pose challenges for PET bottle recycling, but recycling-friendly innovations were recently recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
Three shrink films for PET bottles and a collection of label inks have passed recyclability reviews by the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
An ongoing battle between OPEC and Russia is flooding the market with cheap barrels of oil, threatening downward pressure on virgin plastics prices. | Rebekah Zemansky/Shutterstock
Construction has been delayed on two large U.S. prime plastics plants – one because of high costs and the other due to coronavirus. At the same time, an oil price war put downward pressure on virgin plastic prices.
Direct Pack has acquired a Mexico-headquartered recycling operation with capacity to process 40 million pounds per year of PET. | Courtesy of Direct Pack.
U.S. plastic thermoform manufacturer Direct Pack Inc. has acquired a PET reclaimer and is now processing recovered thermoforms at a Mexico site.
How2Recycle Staff emphasize that knowing what not to recycle is just as important as knowing what to recycle. | Dan Leif/Resource Recycling, Inc.
The Closed Loop Partners investment will finance Reterra’s move into its recently acquired facility and will help fund equipment purchases. | Natee Meepian/Shutterstock
Closed Loop Partners will invest $2 million in a Houston chemical recycling company that processes PET residue generated by mechanical recycling operations.
The FDA recently approved a recycling process that allows post-consumer HDPE at up to 100% in new products including milk and juice bottles. | Val Lawless/Shutterstock
Erema Group got the go-ahead to use its technology to recycle HDPE into food and drink packaging and foodservice wares. Meanwhile, other companies got federal green lights for PET recycling.
Indorama said the acquisition of Green Fiber International extends the company’s recycled flake supply chain to the West Coast. | fizkes/Shutterstock
Global PET producer Indorama Ventures paid nearly $25 million for California PET reclaimer Green Fiber International, new financial disclosures show.
CarbonLite’s upcoming Florida facility will source 100 million or more pounds of post-consumer PET from the surrounding region. | Nixx Photography/Shutterstock
A PET bottle reclaimer will construct an $80 million plant in Florida. The project is in its early stages.