As the year comes to a close, MRFs are largely seeing good news across the board, fetching higher prices for OCC, mixed paper, aluminum, natural HDPE and other materials.
The national average price for corrugated containers (PS 11) moved up 12% this month, now trading at an average $66 per ton, compared with $59 per ton last month. The OCC grade was trading for around $25 per ton one year ago.
Mixed paper (PS 54) is up 14%, at an average price of $32 per ton, compared with $28 per ton last month. The last time the price for mixed paper was this high was in October 2017, when it hit $32 per ton. That number was well below the price earlier that year, however: In March 2017, the price was as high as $96 per ton.
Sorted residential papers (PS 56) moved up 10% this month, now averaging $44 per ton, compared with $40 per ton last month and $10 per ton one year ago.
Sorted office papers (PS 37) are unchanged this month at $83 per ton. This grade was $87 per ton one year ago.
The national average price for sorted, baled aluminum cans is up 7% this month, now at 49.19 cents per pound. That compares with 45.81 cents last month. This grade traded at 51.13 cents one year ago.
The price for sorted, baled steel cans remains constant this month at $80.31 per ton. One year ago, this grade traded for an average $100.31 per ton.
The national average price of natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) rose again this month and now averages 63.75 cents per pound, compared with 62.97 cents last month and 59.34 cents one year ago. This month’s pricing represents yet another all-time high.
The national average price of color HDPE is up again. This grade is now trading at 17.06 cents per pound, up from 16.41 cents last month. Some regions are still paying around 20 cents a pound.
The national average price of post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars moved up marginally again this month. The price is currently at 6.55 cents per pound, compared to 6.30 cents per pound this time last month. This compares with 10.32 cents per pound one year ago.
The national average price of polypropylene materials moved up again and is now at 7.00 cents per pound, compared with 5.47 cents last month and 7.06 cents one year ago.
The national average price of Grade A film is up another 6%. It is now at 9.44 cents, compared to 8.88 cents per pound last month. The material’s value was 8.69 cents per pound this time last year.
Grade B film remains at 3.56 cents per pound, and Grade C film is unchanged at 0.81 cents.
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.
