Page 51 - Plastics News February 2025
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PRODUCT NEWS




          expected in this type of market, and we need to       the Great Lakes Region also launched its Boat
          really look at these different contracting meth-      Wrap Collection Program in 2023.)
          ods to make sure that we’re marrying up supply
          and demand on the correct grade of PCR.”              “There was a perfect marriage of local com-
                                                                panies working together to build this economy
          In addition, consolidation has made the market        of scale, of marina plastic wrap recycling,” said
          a lot less fragmented and has helped improve          Walker.
          the quality of the material as well to have bigger
          companies providing resources, Bayliss said.          Before long, the county added pallet wrap to
                                                                its recovery efforts,  and later  HDPE film bags,
          Hano added that one worry is that as “goody           which required an alternative outlet since Petos-
          two-shoes and early adopters” the company will        key Plastics didn’t accept those grades, Walker
          end up paying higher prices until the rest of the     said.
          producers get on board.
                                                                “We made sure we had multiple end markets if
          As for what’s ahead for PCR markets, Bayliss          we could, to leverage those so that we were in
          said she sees online trading platforms gaining        a good position,” Walker said. Unlike PET and
          steam, and helping to connect more buyers and         HDPE containers, plastic film has limited end
          sellers as well as adding transparency into con-      uses. “You can go export, or you can go waste
          tract discussions and pricing. “So that’s widen-      to energy, which we don’t like to do,” she said.
          ing the number of people that can participate in      “We’d rather not do chemical recycling when we
          the marketplace.”                                     can mechanically recycle.”

          Alternative sourcing networks provide additional      Similarly, farmers in Wisconsin were seeking a
          volumes                                               solution for their used agricultural plastics, such
                                                                as silage wrap, said Melissa Kono, an associate
          While the lion’s share of PCR moves through           professor with the University of Wisconsin and
          larger  channels  such as MRFs, smaller,  incre-      community development educator for Clark and
          mental volumes have emerged through less tra-         Trempealeau counties in that state. In this role,
          ditional sources.                                     she coordinates agricultural plastics recycling

                                                                throughout the state, working with both public
          In Michigan, stakeholders for the many local ma-
          rinas approached Emmet County, asking for sug-        and private partners.
          gestions on what to do with their plastic boat        Kono  found a  Wisconsin company  that  would
          shrink wrap. Research revealed that PE film pro-      place dumpsters on farms producing large vol-
          cessor Petoskey Plastics was headquartered in         umes of plastics, and capture bags for farms
          the area, said Lindsey Walker, who leads recy-        that  generate  smaller  volumes.  One  challenge
          cling outreach and market development for Em-         is making the economics work – potential end
          met County. The company’s products include            markets are often too far from rural Wisconsin
          shrink wrap for the state’s automotive industry.      to justify trucking expenses, she said.


          So in 2008 the county launched a pilot boat-wrap      Kono said she only hosts a collection event if she
          recovery program, Walker said. (The Council of        knows an outlet exists, though this has meant




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