Curbside fiber and plastic loads were lower at MRF in the US this month, with HDPE and PP reported particularly painful declines.
The national average price for post-consumer natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) from the curbside collection program is now 56.44 cents per pound, down 26% from the 76.31 cents reported last month.Natural HDPE prices have been falling since hitting record highs in September.This time last year the price was 63.00 cents, and five years ago it was 23.00 cents.
Following the trend, the national average price of color HDPE dropped by a third this month.Plastic grades are currently trading at 26.63 cents a pound, compared with 39.81 cents last month.A year ago, the grade averaged 17.06 cents.
Another curb polyolefin grade, polypropylene (PP), also fell sharply.PP is now at 18.94 cents a pound, compared with 23.25 cents last month, or about 19% lower.PP was 7.00 cents a year ago.
The average price for corrugated boxes (PS 11) fell by 11% and is currently trading at an average of $142 per tonne, compared to $160 last month.OCC was trading around $66 a tonne this time last year, compared with $108 a tonne five years ago.
Sorted residential paper (PS 56), down 11%, now averages $94 a tonne, compared to $106 last month and $44 a tonne a year ago.
Blended paper (PS 54) has also declined, from an average of $90 a tonne last month to its current level of $76.Notably, the current price is back to the $76 level it was five years ago.This time last year the grade was $33 per ton.
The national average price for sorted and packed aluminum cans was 76.06 cents per pound, compared to 77.88 cents last month.This time last year, UBC was trading at an average of 49.19 cents a pound.
Sorted, packaged steel tanks remained steady in the $270 per ton range.That compares with a low of $80 a tonne this time last year and a low of $109 a tonne five years ago.
PET beverage bottles and cans fell 5%.The average price is now 18.28 cents a pound, compared with 19.34 cents a pound this time last month.However, some regions are still trading as high as 23.00 cents a pound.PET was trading at 6.55 cents a year ago and 10.35 cents five years ago.
The national average price of Grade A films remained stable.It is now 20.50 cents a pound, compared with 20.75 cents a pound last month and 9.44 cents a pound a year ago.
These prices are reported in the Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) Index.This pricing represents what you would pay for post-consumer recyclable material in sorted, packaged form at most major recycling centers.
For a free trial of SMP’s Online Post-Consumer Pricing Index, visit the Recycling Markets website.You can also contact Christina Boulanger-Bosley at [email protected] or 330-956-8911.
Celadon Development Corporation announced plans to expand its North American operations with a recycling and production facility in Virginia to export recycled pulp to China.
MRF saw marked price increases for used beverage cans and PET containers this month, with per-pack price increases of 14% and 10%, respectively.
California’s combined recycling/composting rate increased by 5 percentage points in 2020, but the figure is well below the state’s goal.
Transporter and recycling processor Recology has forgiven $2.75 million in loans and will stay away from the push after successfully funding California’s 2022 election’s plastic expense measure, according to state records and the company.
A joint venture between a waste management company and an investment company will recycle plastic and paper into building materials.
Pratt Industries recently broke ground on its sixth 100% recycled paper mill and Graphic Packaging is about to start its large recycled board machine.
As part of a legal settlement with Canadian regulators, Keurig Canada will pay a multi-million dollar fine and change its coffee pod recyclability statement.
Post time: Jan-19-2022