ISRI Updates Scrap Plastics Specs

On February 23rd, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) reported that its Scrap Specifications Circular was updated to include nine new plastics specs.

According to Robin Wiener, president of ISRI.“The nine new plastics specs were designed to give definition and clarity in the plastics film market….As the market for recycled plastics film evolved, ISRI members recognized the need for our specification to reflect their needs and were the driving force behind their adoption. ISRI is a leader in the plastics recycling industry, and as such, will continue to provide the tools and resources to our members to help them better conduct their business each and every day.”

According to the press release, the new plastics specifications are:

• Premium Film:
  • This grade consists of 100% clean, clear, dry, post-industrial film consisting of LLDPE film or LDPE film;
• A+ Grade Film:
  • This grade consists of 99% clean, clear, dry, post commercial and/or post-industrial film consisting of LLDPE pallet stretch film. May contain small amount of LDPE film;
• A Grade Film:
  • This grade consists of 95% clean, dry, clear, natural LDPE or LLDPE film. Any mix of post commercial or post-industrial film. Minimal amount of HDPE allowed;
• B Grade Film:
  • This grade consists of 80% clear, up to 20% color, clean, natural LDPE and/or LLDPE films. Any mix of post-commercial or post-industrial film is allowed. Minimal amounts HDPE or strapping allowed;
• C Grade Film:
  • This grade consists of 50% clear, 50% color, dry, LDPE or LLDPE films. Can be any mix of post-commercial or post-industrial film. HDPE or PP films are allowed;
• MRF Film:
  • Film collected and sorted at a MRF, typically generated from curbside collections consisting of HDPE grocery/retail bags, LDPE, or LLDPE films;
• Grocery Film:
  • Any mix of clean, dry, grocery, retail, packaging film or dry cleaner bags collected from store return programs. Males may contain HDPE, LLDPE, or LDPE films combined;
• Agricultural Greenhouse Film:
  • Films not used on the ground for agriculture or farming. Examples of which may be bale wrap, greenhouse films, dairy bags and bunker silo films which are polyethylene based; and
• Agricultural Ground Cover Film:
  • Any film collected after in field use. Examples of which may be mulch film and irrigation (drip) tubing which is polyethylene based.

The Scrap Specifications Circular contains standard specifications that are intended to assist market participants in the buying and selling of their materials and products. ISRI’s scrap specifications provide guidelines for the full range of processed scrap commodities, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, plastics, electronics, rubber, and glass. The specifications, which are internationally accepted and used throughout the world as guidelines for trading the various commodities, are always subject to negotiation between buyer and seller.

To understand how the scrap industry is able to accurately identify the plastic grades so they can sort them appropriately, read about handheld Near Infrared (NIR) analyzers.  These analyzers are powerful tools that enable rapid on-site screening and identification of plastics types. Post-industrial and post-consumer materials need to be accurately identified and sorted to achieve high quality reprocessed material.