Guide · Plastic recycling
Plastic recycling: what actually gets recycled, and how
Less than 10% of plastic ever produced has been recycled. The bottleneck isn't public will — it's the gap between what's technically recyclable and what's economically recyclable in a given region. This guide walks through the resin codes, the sortation chain, and the bale economics that decide whether your plastic actually gets a second life.
Resin identification codes, decoded
- #1 PET — water and soda bottles. Strong global market. Recycled into fiber, sheet, and new bottles.
- #2 HDPE — milk jugs, detergent bottles. Strong market. Natural and pigmented HDPE are baled separately.
- #3 PVC — pipe, blister packs. Limited recycling market; treated as contaminant in most MRFs.
- #4 LDPE — film, shopping bags. Recyclable only through dedicated film programs; not curbside in most regions.
- #5 PP — yogurt tubs, caps. Market is growing — many MRFs now sort and bale PP.
- #6 PS — foam, takeout containers. Limited markets; banned in many jurisdictions.
- #7 Other — multilayer, bioplastics, anything that doesn't fit. Typically landfilled.
From bin to bale to reclaimer
- Collection. Curbside, commercial, deposit return, or drop-off.
- MRF sortation. The mixed stream is separated by resin at a material recovery facility using optical sorters, magnets, and manual QC.
- Baling. Each resin is compressed into ~1,000 lb / 450 kg bales meeting a published spec.
- Brokerage and shipment. Bales are sold to a reclaimer directly or via a broker. Composition determines price.
- Wash and flake. The reclaimer grinds bales into flake and washes off labels, adhesives, and residue.
- Pelletizing. Flake is melted and extruded into recycled pellets (rPET, rHDPE, rPP) that go back into manufacturing.
Why composition decides the bale's fate
Every step downstream of the MRF assumes a bale meets spec. A PET bale advertised at 95% target resin that arrives at 82% costs the reclaimer extra wash cycles, extra residue disposal, and lower flake yield. They respond by downgrading the bale, claiming back the difference, or refusing the next load entirely. Repeat that pattern and the offtake contract goes away.
That's why per-bale composition auditing has moved from "nice to have" to "table stakes". The seller wants documentation to defend pricing. The buyer wants composition data before the truck arrives. AI photo-based analysis — what we built into BaleScan — closes both sides of that gap in the time it takes to take a phone photo.
Frequently asked questions
Which plastics are actually recyclable?
Globally, PET (#1) and HDPE (#2) have the most reliable end markets and are recycled at meaningful scale. PP (#5) recycling is growing. PVC (#3), LDPE (#4 — film), PS (#6) and 'other' (#7) have limited or specialized markets. 'Recyclable' depends on whether a reclaimer will actually buy it in your region — not just the resin code on the bottom.
What do the plastic recycling numbers mean?
The 1–7 inside the chasing-arrows triangle is the Resin Identification Code (RIC). It identifies the polymer (1 = PET, 2 = HDPE, 3 = PVC, 4 = LDPE, 5 = PP, 6 = PS, 7 = other). It is NOT a guarantee of recyclability — it just tells sorters and reclaimers what the plastic is made of.
How does plastic recycling work?
Collected plastic is delivered to a material recovery facility (MRF), sorted by resin using optical (NIR) scanners, baled, and sold to reclaimers. Reclaimers wash and shred the bales into flake, then either pelletize the flake or sell it directly to manufacturers who melt it into new products.
Why do plastic bales get rejected?
Buyers reject bales when contamination exceeds the published spec — wrong-resin bottles in a PET bale, attached caps and labels above tolerance, food residue, or non-plastic contaminants. A 5–10% contamination overage can drop bale value by 30% or get the load returned at the recycler's cost.
What is bale composition analysis?
Bale composition analysis measures the percentage of each material in a finished bale — target resin, off-resins, and contaminants — so the seller can price it, the buyer can verify spec, and both parties have audit-grade documentation. AI photo-based analysis has made per-bale audits economically viable for the first time.