LDPE SHRINK WRAP, STRETCH FILM,
PACKAGING POLY, ROLL STOCK

LDPE STRETCH FILM RECYCLING

LDPE Shrink Wrap

There’s money in shrink film. Recycle that used shrink film by baling it and selling us your bales or get it picked up in combination with one of our custom designed recycling programs. The larger the bale, the better the return. You can sell your bales directly to us, have us setup a baler or just have us pickup your loose film.

Stretch film is composed of linear low density polyethylene. Stretch film is used to secure contents stacked onto a pallet ready for shipment. Manufacturers and distributors consider stretch film one of the most costly waste byproducts. A stretch film recycling program offers a cost-effective solution to disposal. In fact, stretch film carries a high scrap market value. A stretch film recycling program requires a few steps to develop for your business needs.

The most common stretch wrap material is linear low-density polyethylene or LLDPE, which is produced by copolymerization of ethylene with alpha-olefins, the most common of which are butene, hexene and octene. The use of higher alpha-olefins (hexene or octene) gives rise to enhanced stretch film characteristics, particularly in respect of elongation at break and puncture resistance. Other types of polyethylene and PVC can also be used. Many films have about 500% stretch at break but are only stretched to about 100 – 300% in use. Once stretched, the elastic recovery is used to keep the load tight.

Stretch film is used widely in distribution, industry and even in your kitchen commonly known as “Saran Wrap.”

There are two methods of producing stretch wrap. 1) Blown: the resin is melted and blown out, it is air-cooled. This is a slower process but provides for higher quality. The cost of production is higher due to the quantity that can be produced per hour. 2) Cast: the film is passed over cooling rollers. This makes the cooling process quick. The quality is not as good as blown but more can be produced in an hour with lower costs.

Other properties such as break strength, cling, clarity, tear resistance, static discharge, etc. are also important.

Stretch film recycling is very cost-effective for companies as throwing it out in garbage is expensive. Stretch film can equal over 50% of your garbage bill. Recycle your stretch film in BC, Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Okanagan, Alberta, Calgary, Edmonton, Washington State, Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma.

HOW PLASTIC FILM RECYCLING WORKS:

Recycling Plastic Film (LDPE resin) is a multi-step process that requires very specialized equipment. Essentially, a finished end product – like plastic pallet wrap – is chopped, washed, melted and extruded into plastic pellets. These plastic pellets are then sold to a plastic reprocessor, who will use them in a specific manufacturing process (such as blow molding in the case of plastic bottles or extrusion in the case of plastic lumber) to create a “new” or “recycled” plastic product.

LDPE plastic film recycling starts with inspection, which takes place at Blue Planet Recycling. This process is designed to weed out any foreign materials, contaminants or other plastics. Because plastics have different properties and characteristics, recycling involves the separation of different plastics by resin type.
After the plastic film is inspected, it is ground. This serves to clean the material and to get it into a more manageable size for the next few processes. Some dirtier or cross-contaminated materials may require separation by flotation, where certain types of plastic will rise to the top of the flotation tank and others, because of their higher densities, will sink.

From there, the plastic regrind is melted by heat and friction inside an extruder. The molten plastic passes through a screen where any remaining contaminants are filtered out. Little pellets emerge and are market ready.

We are committed to selecting local markets for our reclaimed products—we look for local uses and support North American manufacturing. Blue Planet Recycling Ltd. has a reputation for providing high quality cost-effective reclaimed resins for film, pipe, sheet extrusion and injection molding applications.
We offer a loose plastic film recycling pickup service. For larger volume generators we can install a baler and buy baled film from your facility or distribution network. We can service nationwide programs or individual stores in our service areas.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PLASTICS:

Plastic is a lightweight and versatile material. It takes just a little bit of plastic to do a lot. For example, the plastic grocery bag of today is 70% thinner than it was when first introduced 25 years ago. The thickness of a typical plastic grocery bag has been reduced from 2.3 millimetres in 1976 to just 0.7 millimetres today making it a cost-effective and environmentally efficient choice.

When evaluating the contribution plastics make to sustainable development, consider their impact on sustainability from a social, economic and environmental perspective. Plastics help improve social conditions through relatively low-cost and safe products, such as single-use syringes and many other life-saving medical applications. Economically, the Canadian plastics industry accounts for an estimated $33.7 billion in shipments of plastic products and another $12.2 billion in shipments of raw materials, machinery and moulds. In addition, the decision to use plastics will mean lower costs and improved performance in most applications. Plastics also make an important environmental contribution. Food packaging, for instance, helps extend the shelf life of our food and results in less spoilage and less waste.

Just think about it. Only 4% of the world’s oil reserves is used to make plastics. Think about how many things around us are made from plastic. Then consider that when their useful life has ended, the plastic materials can find an extended life as something else. Or, the energy value that was borrowed can be returned. Now that’s efficiency!

Estimates suggest that the 100 kg of plastic material used in modern cars replace between 200 and 300 kg of other materials. This, in turn, reduces fuel consumption. The use of plastics contributes to an approximate fuel saving of 1.8 million litres over the life span of vehicles produced in Canada in one year alone.

After fulfilling the useful purpose that they were designed for, plastics can be recycled or reused as an alternative fuel. Since plastics are made from oil and gas, their value as a fuel source is inherent, therefore, they can be recycled into something else when it makes economic and environmental sense, or the fuel value can be recaptured. Plastic products have a calorific value that is at least equal to coal but with lower CO2 emissions.

Much of today’s focus on renewable energy technologies would not be possible without the use of plastics. Both solar panels and wind turbines use plastics in their construction.

Over one billion people in the world lack access to safe water. Plastics can preserve and distribute water economically, reliably and safely.

From the thin sutures used in medical applications to the strong, resilient panels used in the aerospace industry, plastics are capable of taking on many forms and characteristics.

Without plastics packaging, the weight of packaging would increase four-fold, production costs and energy consumption would double and waste volume would increase by 150%.

Plastics protect us in many different areas of our lives – from the air bags and car seats in our vehicles to the smoke detectors and electrical outlet covers in our homes to the bicycle helmets and protective sports gear used by our children. Plastics protect us against injury and pain.
Contact Blue Planet Recycling for your plastic film recycling needs today.
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