The world transition into the circular economy is making plastic waste a liability to be a valuable commodity. The key to your enterprise is, whether you are a green-minded business owner and trying to open a local workshop or a plant manager and have to process the municipal waste on large scale, your plastic recycling system will be the core of your business.

The recycling machinery market is, however, large. Selecting an inappropriate scale may result in having a system that is either too costly to support or a system that cannot match your supply. To enable you to make a good investment, we will in this guide disaggregate the disparities between the small business and industrial plastic recycling systems.

A Plastic Recycling System What Is a Plastic Recycling System?

It is important to know what a plastic recycling system is prior to the actual plunge into the scales of operation. Primarily it consists of a process of transforming waste plastic into reusable raw materials through a series of mechanical or chemical operation.

A typical system would comprise:

• Sorting: Plastics are sorted according to the resin type (PET, HDPE, LDPE, etc.).

• Shredding: Minimizing big objects into smaller flakes.

• Washing: Mobile washing off labels, glue and organic waste.

• Extrusion/ Pelletizing: Fusing the flakes into standardized pellets.

The distinction between an industrial-scale and a small-scale system is the quantity, automation and purity of end-product.

Small Business Plastic Recycling Systems.

Mini-systems are also known as a modular or community-based recycling unit. They are best suited to start-ups, educational centers or small manufacturing centers that may desire to produce products out of local wastes.

Key Characteristics:

• Capacity: The rate of processing usually ranges between 10kg and 50kg of plastic in an hour.

• Footprint: May easily be placed in a typical garage or a small 20-foot shipping container.

• Operation: It is usually semi-automated, whereby the material has to be fed manually and sorted manually.

The Pros:

• Minimal Start up Capital: It is possible to begin with a small scale plastic recycling system at a fraction of the cost of an industrial system.

• Flexibility: The systems can be washed down more readily and converted to other types of plastic, ideal with regard to the "boutique" recycled products.

• Local Impact: They minimize the transportation expenses and carbon footprints by treating waste at the place of generation.

The Cons:

• Intensive in Labor: They do not come with high-end automation and thus you will pay more on man-hours per kilogram of plastic processed.

• Reduced Purity: In the absence of advanced optical sorters, purities of 99% are hard to attain, and this could restrict the sale of your pellets to high-end manufacturers.

Plastic Recycling Systems used in industries.

The industrial systems are the giants of the waste management world. They are meant to work round the clock and can handle the enormous quantities of waste produced by a whole city or an industrial area.

Key Characteristics:

• Capacity: 500kg to a number of tons per hour.

• Footprint: Consumes large area of warehouse, special power grids, and water treatment systems.

• Operation: Fully automated by means of AI-guided optical sorters, high speed friction washers, and laser filters.

The Pros:

• Economies of Scale: Although it is expensive in the short term, the price per kilogram of processed plastic is much cheaper than small systems.

• Excellent Quality: The industrial systems result in virgin like pellets that may be utilized in food packaging or with high technology.

• High Level Contamination Processing: These systems are capable of processing dirty post-consumer waste, which would clog or cause the destruction of a smaller machine.

The Cons:

• Huge CAPEX: A recycling system of industrial plastics can cost between half a million dollars to a few million dollars.

• Complex Permitting: At this level, there are complex environmental permits, waste handling licenses and safety certifications.

The most important Comparison Factors: Which one should You choose?

When determining the kind of plastic recycling system to implement in your business model, the following are the four important factors that you should take into consideration:

A. Throughput vs. Supply

One of the most frequent errors is the purchase of a system bigger than the amount of waste you have. Suppose you are able to feed only 1 ton of plastic a week into any industrial system, then the process will be idle 90 percent of the time and will burn your capital. On the other hand, with a contract with a local municipality, a small business system will be a bottleneck in several weeks.

B. The "End Life" of Your Product

Do you sell raw pellets to other firms or are you producing finished products?

• Small Business: Often more suited to closed-loop production (e.g. 3D printing combs, beams or tiles, or injection moulding them).

• Industrial: Suits more with B2B sale by supplying raw material in large volumes to big manufacturers.

C. Maintenance and Expertise

Small systems are mechanically simple; they can be repaired by a good mechanic. The industrial systems are intricate ecosystems, which include PLC programming, hydraulic systems and delicate optical sensors. Industrial set up will require its own maintenance crew.

D. Budget and Financing

Small business systems are sometimes self-funded or small business loans financed. The kind of industry systems typically demand venture capital, leasing of heavy equipment, or government grants aimed at infrastructure of the circular economy.

The Hybrid Future: Scaling Up

A lot of effective recycling entrepreneurs begin with a small plastic recycling system to demonstrate their idea and create a supply chain within their locality. When they have the source of their raw material (waste supply) and they are certain that the market they are selling their product can buy it, they step up to the mid-scale industrial equipment.

The gap is also being bridged by technology. What is emerging in our contention are mid-range systems, which provide industrial grade washing and filtration but fits in the space of a small warehouse.

Conclusion

The decision to use the appropriate plastic recycling system is an equation between what you want to do to your environment and what you can afford. In case you have the purpose of community involvement and niche product development, a small business system is a fulfilling and responsive option. When you are aiming to address the global plastic crisis in a large scale and you are also capable of competing in the world commodities market, the industrial path though costly is the only path towards the required throughput.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the price of a simple recycling system of plastic in a small business?
   The simplest entry level system (shredder and extruder) usually costs between 10-30,000, depending on the manufacturer and the level of automation.
2. Is it possible to produce food-grade recycled plastic in a little system?
   In most cases, no. Food-grade plastic has to undergo very high-purity washing and de-solventisation, which are not often available in any but the largest industrial systems.
3. Which is the most widespread plastic that is recycled in these systems?
   The most widely processed plastics are PET (water bottles) and HDPE (milk jugs/shampoo bottles) since it is of most value on the market and is easiest to sort.
4. What area am I required to install an industrial plastic recycling system?
   The minimum area needed in an industrial line is 5,000 to 10,000 square feet to house the machinery and raw waste storage and the finished pellets inventory.
5. Is recycling of plastics profitable?
   Your profitability will be determined by your gate fee (paid to collect waste) or off-take price (what you are paid your pellets). The secrets to profit margin maintenance are efficiency and reduction of contamination.