A working knowledge of what constitutes contamination and how to avoid it will greatly improve a recycling operator's ability to meet market specifications and ease frustrations in building a successful plastics recycling program. Plastics handling includes the processing, storing and transporting of plastics to market. There are several important steps a handler or MRF operator should take in ensuring that quality control measures are in place throughout a handling operation. Target densities for bales of any size range between 10 and 15 pounds per cubic foot. Ideally, bales should also be bound with nonrusting, noncorroding material, such as galvanized wire or polyester strapping, to ensure their integrity throughout shipping and handling.
Some markets accept plastics in granulated form.
However, handlers should know a market's specific equipment requirements and quality specifications before granulating plastics. Since plastics sometimes have to be stored before they are transported to market, it is important to make adequate storage space available. As a general rule, plastics require an average of 36 cubic yards of storage for 10,000 loose bottles or three cubic yards for 10,000 baled bottles. Finally, handlers and MRF operators should know what volumes of plastics are acceptable for their market. These volumes can range from household loads to actual truckloads.