PET Recycling

PET Recycling

(Polyethylene Terephthalate)

 

PET plastic is very much known for it's use in the drinks-packaging industry. In the 70's there was a big demand for a light and unbreakable material to carry liquids. PET was the answer. PET plastic is strong, does not wear 'n tear easily, does not shrink and is thus a suitable replacement for silk, cotton, woul and linnen. Furthermore the material can be used as an electrical isolator, fire retardant, chemical fibre and for certain car parts.

 

PET recycling is the process of collecting, sorting and processing in order to reuse the material from which the bottles are made. PET plastic from waste packaging is very suitable to recycle into new fibres. These fibres can be used for various types of cloth. Usually the material is baled after collection, after which it is transported to the place of sorting and processing. The advantage of baling is that the material can comprise heavy loadings, saving transportation cost.

 

At the place of sorting, the bottles are sorted on type and colour. This is important as the PET colour will influence the fibre colour in the recycling process. After this the bottles are shredded into small flakes. These flakes are washed using hot or cold wash. Hot wash will give the best result, especially when repeated a couple of times.

 

The flakes can then be made into a fibre which can be used for various purposes.  The fibre is usually created by melt spinning. Melt spinning is the least complex spinning method, and simply involves forcing a polymer melt through a spinneret and into air to cause the polymer to solidify. The melt can solidify anywhere from a few centimeters from the spinneret plate to as far away as several meters.

 

Polyester fibers are used in everything from textiles to automobiles. Examples of the use of the produced fibres are cloth for clothing and stuffing for toys.  Polyester fiber production accounts for over half of all synthetic fiber manufacturing; fiber and fabric manufacturing have been refined so that the resulting fabrics have better drape, hand, and feel. Fabrics with luster and hand ranging from cotton to fur have been produced by using non-round spinneret holes, various additives, and/or a variety of post fiber spinning treatments.

 

Recycling of PET can be made more easy and efficient, by taking the into account the recycling process when doing the bottle design and creating the bottles production-process.

 

Heathland searches to recycle plastics, including PET, in ways that are best suitable for people and environment. Recycling happens in-house and at partner companies in Europe and/or Asia. Since the market for plastic recycling is very international, often it is difficult to keep track of how and where scrap plastics are recycled. Heathland works with partners who are qualified, have sufficient certification, and have set quality standards for the circumstances in which plastic materials are processed. This way, the company can keep as much control as possible on the circumstances in which it’s plastics are recycled. If you are interested in this way of recycling, whether your company is a collector, manufacturer, servicer or end-user, please contact us for possibilities.