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A plastic shredder is implemental in the polymer recycling process, because this material is difficult to reprocess into other items. Polymers come in many chemical structures, and each one needs to be processed in a certain way before it can be used again. However, all polymers need to be reduced in size before they can be recycled. Non-uniform polymer waste is difficult to repurpose, and may be structurally weaker than uniformly-sized material. Fortunately, these machines can a handle a large amount of polymer waste at one time, so they can quickly prepare the material for reprocessing.
Before the material can be taken to the plastic shredder, it must be sorted out. Mixing polymers during processing will produce an inferior material that is useful in limited applications. Once it is sorted and reduced in size, it is melted down and channeled into an extruder, which created standardized pellets. These pellets are easily melted down again when it is time to manufacture polymer products. The pellets are just one available product, because the polymers can also be processed into high quality carbon fuel or steel recycling carbons.
PET, PVC, HDPE, and PS are popular materials for recycling, and all can easily be handled by a plastic shredder. In fact, these machines can easily chew through items of nearly any size, from small electronics to large appliances made from the material. The reducing process is fast and thorough. The machine is fitted with a set of toothed rotary drums that are positioned so that there are no gaps that material could fall through. The drums are notched together so they can grab waste and pull it through the drums, resulting in a uniform stream of polymer pieces. A plastic shredder is about the size of a flatbed truck, and can handle thousands of pounds of material every hour.
Among polymers, PET is probably the most popular for repurposing. It is sorted for color and may be transformed into fibers, flakes or pellets. Recently, clothing manufacturers have begun integrating recycled PET into clothing fibers. The PET is spun into fibers, similar to how polyester is created. It is usually integrated into durable clothing, like shoes, hats, bags, coats or jackets. Recycled PET can also be used in packaging, either for food or non-food contact surfaces. Bottles, jars, blister packs, collation trays, and clam shells are all common applications for recycled PET.
Recycled PVC is handy in a few applications, though not all recycled PVC is high quality enough to be integrated into all applications. For the most part PVC is built into piping, because it is corrosion resistant, inexpensive, light, and low maintenance. It can also be heated and fused to solvents to create watertight seals.
HDPE is typically downcycled instead of recycled, but it is still useful for the creation of benches, trash bins, tables, curbs, stationery liners, and truck cargo liners. PS is not repurposed all that frequently, but it can be turned into benches, flower pots, staplers, frames, rulers or toys.
A plastic shredder is a powerful piece of technology that reduces landfill waste, and makes plastic products more accessible around the world. They are an excellent choice for any facility that repurposes polymers.
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