Plastic Identification

Washing the impurities

Tearing of the plastic

Re-identification of the plastic

grades

Extruding

5 Stages of Plastic Recycling Process

Plastic is really hazardous as it’s not disposable and

degradable. Most companies manufacturing plastic bags

aim at adopting environmentally friendly recyclable plastic

bags. Thanks to the growing attention of legal officials and

government intervention, most companies in the USA are

trying to adapt to the bio degradable laminated bags. This

is still in its infancy though; companies like Plastic Bag

Source are doing it marvelously.

Plastic recycling is a term coined from the process of

turning waste plastic to a usable product and then re-enter

the same product in the manufacturing value chain.

There are 5 important stages of plastic recycling. Let’s

understand them below:

Not every plastic bag or plastic product can be

recycled. Once the plastic arrives at the recycling

plant, the company engineers inspect the plastic

type as recycling plastic is a convoluted practice.

Mixed plastic or poor quality plastic or drawstring

bags can’t be recycled. Engineers at the plant sort

out the plastic bags and plastic products before

taking them into consideration for a possible

recycling.

After the engineers identify the type of plastic and

considers it worthy for a recycling, it is separated

and taken into the next level, where it is cleaned.

The washing process starts with removing the labels

on plastic products, laminated bags or any other

labeled product of plastic. Once the labels are

removed the other impurities and adhesives are

removed. Until and unless these impurities are

removed the quality of recycled plastic wouldn’t

improve

In the third stage, the waste plastic is loaded

onto the conveyor belt that takes the plastic

bags directly towards rotating metal teeth that

tears the plastic into small pieces. The same

plastic pieces are bagged up and passed

through a stringent quality check.

Once the shredded plastic is passed through a

stringent quality and chemical test, the plastic

pieces are labeled differently as per the quality of

plastics and its grade. Certain Grade plastics

extracted from drawstring bags or plastic products

are blended with virgin plastic and taken to the

next level of recycling.

The last stage of the recycling process involves

melting the clean plastic pieces and extruding

into the form of pellets. These pallets are then

sent to the manufacturing unit, where they are

manufactured with the next lot of plastics. The

next lot of plastic is then converted into wonderful

plastic products we use in our daily lives.

Summing it all up, recycling plastic is beneficial in

many ways. The landfills that pollute the environment

with tons of unused plastic will start emptying.

Moreover, as plastic is derived from oil, which is a non-

renewable natural resource, it is advisable to reuse it

as much as possible. Recycled laminated bags and

other forms of plastic bags are also equally popular

among the consumers as carrying reusable products

also let them feel proud about the contribution that

they make in reducing the global warming.