The value of recovered packaging is flat to up as the new year begins.

Plastic reclaimers have submitted price bids for bales generated on the East Coast that are similar to those paid in late 2017. High-density PE containers are moving for 32 cents to 33 cents per pound (truckload quantity picked up). This is down a very tiny bit from December’s price. In comparison, the top HDPE bottle price in 2017 was about 37 cents per pound, with the lowest being 25 cents.

For PET, January’s opening price of about 14 cents per pound merely continues the pricing of late 2017. PET bale producers were paid a high of 17 cents per pound last year, with the low being about 11 cents.

In comparison, MRF operators are smiling when discussing the value of aluminum cans. Bales of cans generated on the East Coast are now selling for about 72 cents per pound, up about 3 cents from December. The high price for UBCs in 2017 was roughly 73 cents per pound, and the low was around 65 cents per pound.

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