POLYFINDERENPET
PET bottle scrap: who buys it and what it is worth
PET bottle scrap is bought by recyclers that sort, grind and wash it into flakes, and by plants that turn flakes into fibre, sheet, strapping or new bottles. Its value depends mainly on colour, on how much non-PET material comes with it, and on whether it is baled, ground or already washed.
Forms of PET scrap
- Baled bottles (post-consumer, from sorting centres): priced on composition — clear vs coloured share, labels, caps, liquids, foreign material.
- Hot-washed or cold-washed flakes: priced on residual PVC, glue, moisture and colour.
- Preform and production scrap (clear, coloured): clean, single-source material that processors value highly.
- PET film and sheet scrap: a different outlet from bottles; specify thickness and coating.
Who buys it
PET washing lines, fibre and staple-fibre producers, sheet and thermoforming plants, strapping producers and bottle-to-bottle recyclers. Bottle-to-bottle and food-contact outlets are the most demanding on quality and traceability.
What raises or lowers the price
- Clear (transparent) bottles are worth more than light blue, green or mixed colours.
- PVC contamination is the most feared defect for PET recyclers: state it.
- Caps (PP/HDPE) and labels are acceptable to many washers but must be declared.
- Washed flakes with a stated intrinsic viscosity (IV) and low residuals reach better buyers.
Describe your PET lot like a buyer expects
- Bales or flakes, bale weight and strapping
- Clear / blue / green / mixed share
- Caps, labels, residual liquid
- Quantity per month or one-off
- Location and loading (truck, 40' container)
Related materials
See also
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