Recycled Plastics

As Quoted In Waste Recycling News

Gains will be driven in part by a growing emphasis on sustainability among packaging and consumer product manufacturers, and advancements in processing and sorting technologies.

US demand to rise 6.5% annually through 2016

US demand for post-consumer recycled plastic is forecast to rise 6.5 percent per year to 3.5 billion pounds in 2016. Gains will be driven by a number of factors, including a growing emphasis on sustainability among packaging and consumer product manufacturers, advancements in processing and sorting technologies allowing a wider variety of plastic to be recycled into high quality resins, and an improved collection infrastructure which raises the plastic recycling rate.

Continued support by federal, state, and local governments for recycling efforts will also provide a significant boost to recycled plastic collection, processing, and demand. However, the overall rate of plastic recycling in the US will remain relatively low, since only about half of the plastic collected for recycling makes its way to manufactured products in the US market.

Bottles to remain leading source of recycling plastic

Bottles will remain the leading source of plastic for recycling, accounting for over half of all plastic collected in 2016. The well-established collection infrastructure, including deposit laws in several states, makes bottles one of the most widely recycled plastic products. More rapid gains, however, are forecast for other sources, particularly rigid plastics, film, and carpet. The recycling industry has put significant efforts into increasing the collection of rigid plastic, including thermoformed packaging and bulk containers, particularly at the commercial level. Bag and film recycling will also be bolstered by private sector collection initiatives, as these are a key source of raw materials for plastic bag and woodplastic composite producers.

Recycled PET products to see good growth, while HDPE gains will be subpar

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) were the two leading resins used in recycled plastic products in 2011, accounting for over 70 percent of demand. While PET will see above average gains in demand, fueled by rising recycled content in beverage bottles and thermoformed containers, subpar increases in HDPE collection will limit the availability of recycled resin.

The most rapid growth is forecast for recycled low density polyethylene, which will benefit from a rebound in the construction market. Recycled polypropylene will also see healthy gains in demand as collection volumes increase and processing techniques improve the quality of the resin. Rapid growth is expected for smaller volume resins such as nylon and polystyrene, fueled by rising collection of products such as carpet, plastic foam, and consumer electronics for recycling.

Study Scope

This study analyzes the 2.5 billion pound US recycled plastics industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 2001, 2006 and 2011, and forecasts for 2016 and 2021 by source (e.g., bottles, rigid plastic and foam, bags and film, carpet and fiber), resin (e.g., PET, HDPE, LDPE, polypropylene, nylon, polystyrene), and market (e.g., packaging, construction, motor vehicles).

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 33 industry players, including KW Plastics, Clean Tech, and Trex.

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  1. Recycled Plastics

    $5,100.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $181.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $185.00

      1. Table | US RECYCLED PLASTIC COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $3,487.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 Macroeconomic Outlook

        $207.00

        1. Table | MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS (billion 2005 dollars)

      3. 3.3 Consumer Spending Outlook

        $164.00

        1. Table | PERSONAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES (billion dollars)

      4. 3.4 Construction Industry Outlook

        $278.00

        1. Table | CONSTRUCTION INDICATORS

      5. 3.5 Manufacturing Outlook

        $215.00

        1. Table | MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS

      6. 3.6 Motor Vehicle Industry Overview

        $252.00

        1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE INDICATORS

      7. 3.7 Plastic Resin Industry Outlook

        $194.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC RESIN SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

      8. 3.8 Plastic Packaging Industry Outlook

        $172.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC PACKAGING INDICATORS

      9. 3.9 Solid Waste Management Trends

        $176.00

        1. Table | MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT BY PROCESS (million tons)

      10. 3.10 Plastic Recycling Processes & Technology

        $212.00

      11. 3.11 Regulatory & Legislative Environment

        $588.00

        1. 3.11.1 Container Deposit Laws

          $138.00

        2. 3.11.2 Municipal Collection Infrastructure

          $143.00

        3. 3.11.3 Recycled Content Requirements & Incentives

          $127.00

        4. 3.11.4 Plastic Bag & Container Regulations

          $109.00

      12. 3.12 Private Sector Initiatives & Issues

        $490.00

        1. 3.12.1 Labeling & Bale Standards

          $115.00

        2. 3.12.2 Collection Initiatives

          $242.00

        3. 3.12.3 Extended Producer Responsibility

          $98.00

      13. 3.13 Recycled Plastic Pricing

        $135.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC PRICES (dollars per pound)

      14. 3.14 Historical Market Trends

        $124.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC MARKET, 2001-2011

      15. 3.15 Foreign Trade

        $141.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC TRADE (million pounds)

      16. 3.16 International Activity

        $85.00

    4. 4 RECYCLED PLASTIC COLLECTION

      $1,371.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $144.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC COLLECTION BY SOURCE (million pounds)

      2. 4.2 Bottles

        $406.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC BOTTLE COLLECTION FOR RECYCLING (million pounds)

        2. 4.2.1 PET

          $138.00

        3. 4.2.2 HDPE

          $85.00

        4. 4.2.3 Other

          $82.00

      3. 4.3 Rigid Plastic & Foam

        $362.00

        1. Table | RIGID PLASTIC & FOAM COLLECTION FOR RECYCLING (million pounds)

        2. 4.3.1 Packaging

          $113.00

        3. 4.3.2 Motor Vehicles

          $82.00

        4. 4.3.3 Other Sources

          $82.00

      4. 4.4 Bags & Film

        $157.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC BAG & FILM COLLECTION FOR RECYCLING (million pounds)

      5. 4.5 Carpet & Fiber

        $131.00

        1. Table | CARPET & FIBER PLASTIC COLLECTION FOR RECYCLING (million pounds)

      6. 4.6 Processing, Yield, & Demand

        $170.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC PROCESSING & DEMAND (million pounds)

    5. 5 RECYCLED PLASTIC RESINS

      $2,622.00

      1. 5.1 General

        $124.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC DEMAND BY RESIN (million pounds)

      2. 5.2 Polyethylene Terephthalate

        $549.00

        1. 5.2.1 PET Resin Overview

          $103.00

          1. Table | POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.2.2 Recycled PET Collection & Demand

          $133.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED PET COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

        3. 5.2.3 Markets

          $214.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED PET DEMAND BY MARKET (million pounds)

        4. 5.2.4 Producers

          $98.00

      3. 5.3 High Density Polyethylene

        $461.00

        1. 5.3.1 HDPE Resin Overview

          $91.00

          1. Table | HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.3.2 Recycled HDPE Collection & Demand

          $160.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED HDPE COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

        3. 5.3.3 Markets

          $155.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED HDPE DEMAND BY MARKET (million pounds)

        4. 5.3.4 Producers

          $82.00

      4. 5.4 Low Density Polyethylene

        $340.00

        1. 5.4.1 LDPE/LLDPE Resin Overview

          $106.00

          1. Table | LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.4.2 Recycled LDPE Collection & Demand

          $135.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED LDPE/LLDPE COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

        3. 5.4.3 Markets & Producers

          $98.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED LDPE/LLDPE DEMAND BY MARKET (million pounds)

      5. 5.5 Polypropylene

        $435.00

        1. 5.5.1 Polypropylene Resin Overview

          $87.00

          1. Table | POLYPROPYLENE SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.5.2 Recycled Polypropylene Collection & Demand

          $170.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

        3. 5.5.3 Markets & Producers

          $177.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE DEMAND BY MARKET (million pounds)

      6. 5.6 Nylon

        $293.00

        1. 5.6.1 Nylon Resin & Fiber Overview

          $115.00

          1. Table | NYLON RESIN & FIBER SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.6.2 Recycled Nylon Collection & Markets

          $178.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED NYLON COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

      7. 5.7 Polystyrene

        $242.00

        1. 5.7.1 Polystyrene Resin Overview

          $82.00

          1. Table | POLYSTYRENE SUPPLY & DEMAND (million pounds)

        2. 5.7.2 Recycled Polystyrene Collection & Markets

          $164.00

          1. Table | RECYCLED POLYSTYRENE COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

      8. 5.8 Other Resins

        $176.00

        1. Table | OTHER RECYCLED PLASTIC COLLECTION & DEMAND (million pounds)

    6. 6 RECYCLED PLASTIC MARKETS

      $1,881.00

      1. 6.1 General

        $92.00

        1. Table | RECYCLED PLASTIC DEMAND BY MARKET (million pounds)

      2. 6.2 Packaging

        $676.00

        1. Table | PACKAGING MARKETS FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC (million pounds)

        2. 6.2.1 Bottles

          $170.00

          1. Table | BOTTLE DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY SEGMENT & RESIN (million pounds)

        3. 6.2.2 Containers

          $108.00

          1. Table | CONTAINER DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        4. 6.2.3 Bags & Film

          $115.00

          1. Table | BAG & FILM DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        5. 6.2.4 Strapping

          $98.00

          1. Table | STRAPPING DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        6. 6.2.5 Other Packaging

          $101.00

          1. Table | OTHER PACKAGING DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

      3. 6.3 Construction

        $691.00

        1. Table | CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT MARKETS FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC (million pounds)

        2. 6.3.1 Carpets & Rugs

          $169.00

          1. Table | CARPET & RUG DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        3. 6.3.2 Lumber

          $176.00

          1. Table | LUMBER DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        4. 6.3.3 Pipe

          $101.00

          1. Table | PIPE DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        5. 6.3.4 Furnishings

          $82.00

          1. Table | FURNISHINGS DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

        6. 6.3.5 Other Construction

          $83.00

          1. Table | OTHER CONSTRUCTION DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

      4. 6.4 Motor Vehicles

        $257.00

        1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE MARKETS FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC (million pounds)

        2. 6.4.1 Batteries

          $84.00

          1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE BATTERY DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC (million pounds)

        3. 6.4.2 Other Motor Vehicle

          $97.00

          1. Table | OTHER MOTOR VEHICLE DEMAND FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY RESIN (million pounds)

      5. 6.5 Other Markets

        $165.00

        1. Table | OTHER MARKETS FOR RECYCLED PLASTIC BY SEGMENT & RESIN (million pounds)

    7. 7 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $4,568.00

      1. 7.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 7.2 Industry Composition

        $164.00

        1. Table | US RECYCLED PLASTIC SALES BY COMPANY, 2011 (million dollars)

      3. 7.3 Market Share

        $236.00

      4. 7.4 Merger & Acquisition Activity

        $82.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      5. 7.5 Marketing & Distribution

        $151.00

      6. 7.6 Competitive Strategies

        $132.00

      7. 7.7 Cooperative Agreements

        $179.00

        1. Table | SELECTED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

      8. 7.8 Company Profiles

        $3,475.00

        1. 7.8.1 Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Incorporated

          $209.00

        2. 7.8.2 Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated

          $153.00

        3. 7.8.3 BioCor LLC

          $82.00

        4. 7.8.4 CarbonLite Industries LLC

          $182.00

        5. 7.8.5 The Coca-Cola Company Incorporated

          $126.00

        6. 7.8.6 Coll Materials Incorporated

          $153.00

        7. 7.8.7 Custom Polymers Incorporated

          $96.00

        8. 7.8.8 Dart Container Corporation

          $283.00

        9. 7.8.9 Entropex

          $82.00

        10. 7.8.10 Envision Plastics Industries LLC

          $86.00

        11. 7.8.11 Fresh Pak Corporation

          $95.00

        12. 7.8.12 Hilex Poly Company LLC

          $96.00

        13. 7.8.13 Illinois Tool Works Incorporated

          $144.00

        14. 7.8.14 KW Plastics

          $125.00

        15. 7.8.15 Marglen Industries Incorporated

          $82.00

        16. 7.8.16 Mohawk Industries Incorporated

          $103.00

        17. 7.8.17 MRC Polymers Incorporated

          $82.00

        18. 7.8.18 NextLife Recycling LLC

          $203.00

        19. 7.8.19 Omni Resource Recovery Incorporated

          $86.00

        20. 7.8.20 Parallel Products of Kentucky Incorporated

          $82.00

        21. 7.8.21 PARC Corporation

          $82.00

        22. 7.8.22 Peninsula Plastics Recycling Incorporated

          $82.00

        23. 7.8.23 PET Processors LLC

          $82.00

        24. 7.8.24 Phoenix Technologies International LLC

          $114.00

        25. 7.8.25 Plastic Revolutions Incorporated

          $82.00

        26. 7.8.26 Plastipak Holdings Incorporated

          $82.00

        27. 7.8.27 Polychem Corporation

          $88.00

        28. 7.8.28 PolyQuest Incorporated

          $82.00

        29. 7.8.29 Reynolds Group Holdings Limited

          $121.00

        30. 7.8.30 Schupan & Sons Incorporated

          $82.00

        31. 7.8.31 Trex Company Incorporated

          $105.00

        32. 7.8.32 Wellman Plastics Recycling LLC

          $82.00

        33. 7.8.33 wTe Corporation

          $82.00

      9. 7.9 Additional Companies Mentioned in Study

        $107.00

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