Recycling polypropylene packaging

Some recycling of polypropylene packaging is carried out, most often targeting bottles collected as part of an all plastic bottle collection system. Recycled resin from collected containers has been used in soap bottles. ... 

Song YS, Begley T, Paquette K et al (2003) Effectiveness of polypropylene film as a barrier to migration from recycled paperboard packaging to fatty and high-moisture food. Food Addit Contam 20(9) 875-883... 

As a structural element to support paneling and wall mounts, there is growing interest in the use of plastic lumber produced using the recycled scrap or waste of polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene, and PET materials from various packaging and other high turnover applications... 

Polypropylene. Polypropylene (PP) is used in packaging applications as films and in rigid containers. Battery cases could be considered another packaging application. Dead batteries are often collected at the point of sale of new batteries. In the U.S., some states have laws mandating this. Lead, acid, and plastics, particularly PP from battery casings is recovered and recycled (3). Care must be taken to limit worker exposure to lead during this process (44). PP is also recovered from bale wrap and other PP fabrics used for wrapping in the textile industry and from other containers (45). 

The most difficult recyclates are the MSW, which usually consists of more or less dirty plastics of various types and sources. According to one report [15] the plastic portion of MSW contains typically 50% PE (mainly low density polyethylene, LDPE), 8-14% polypropylene (PP), 15% polystyrene (PS), 10% polyvinylchloride (PVC) and 5% polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and 5% other polymers, while the hard packaging fraction consists of approx. 60% of PP and HDPE [16]. 

In addition to the large quantities of black plastic hay-wrap referred to above, which are discarded in the fields and farmyard, very large amounts of polyethylene and polypropylene are used in agricultural packaging of feedstuffs and fertiliser sacks. In spite of the fact that some of this is recycled and farmers find secondary uses for some of it, much of it finds its way into rivers and ditches where it degrades very slowly. This is the environmental down-side of plastics packaging. 

IP Ducts Heaters with ducts did not appear in the instrument panel in automobiles until the late 1940s. The original ducts were made of metal. The trend has since favored polymeric materials that can be molded into a variety of shapes for easier packaging. Currently about 55% of automotive IP ducts are made of polyethylene (PE) and 40% are polypropylene PP [3]. Both these materials are much lighter in weight compared to steel. Choosing the material that is most compatible with the structure also facilitates easier recycling. IP ducts are also candidates for use of recycled materials, such as recycled PP. 

---