Plastic

General Information
Commercial Guidelines for Baled Recycled Plastic Scrap
were developed to provide industry-wide quality standards.
These standards will facilitate commodity trading of these
materials. They will also focus suppliers of such material on
the quality requirements of their customers.

Product
These guidelines are designed with the potential for dealing
with all recycled plastic in bale form. Initial specifications
refer only to bottles. The code framework allows for generation of guidelines for all types of plastic packaging materials (including rigids and flexibles) with room for expansion to other plastic products and resins including those which are used to produce durable goods. Guidelines for those products may be added at a later date.

Bale Density
Bales shall be compressed to a minimum density of 10 pounds per cubic foot and a maximum density to be determined by individual contract between Buyer and Seller. Increased density may improve transportation efficiency, but over-compression may adversely affect the ability of a Buyer to separate, sort, and reprocess the material.

Bale Tying Material
Bale wires, ties, or straps shall be made of non-rusting or corroding material.

Bale Integrity
Bale integrity must be maintained through loading, shipping, handling, and storage. Distorted or broken bales are difficult to handle. They are unacceptable and may
result in downgrading, rejection, or charge back.

Allowable Contamination
Unspecified materials must not exceed 2% of total bale weight. Bales which contain over 2% will be subjected to reduction in the contracted price of the material as well
as charges for disposal of the contaminants. The reduced percentage will vary depending upon the amount and type of contamination. Quality of the baled plastic is the primary factor which determines the value.

Prohibited Material
Certain materials are understood to be specified as “prohibited.” Such materials will render the bale “non-specification” and may cause some customers to reject the entire shipment. These may include plastic materials which have a deleterious effect on each other when reprocessed, and materials such as agricultural chemicals, hazardous materials, flammable liquids and/or their containers, and medical waste.