Recycle Pricing Update - March 2000

Prices Up for Most Recycled Resins

Following the volatile virgin-resin market, prices for recycled grades of PET, polystyrene, and PVC have soared in recent months. Recycled HDPE prices, on the other hand, appear stable and may even be heading for a downturn.

R-PS in high demand

Recycled PS prices are up by 2-3¢/lb, processors report. “Demand is outstripping supply at the moment, but I don’t know why,” says one recycler. Another recycler confirms this increase in demand: “People whose doors I have been banging on for years, are now coming out of the woodwork and asking for material.”

Although there is no way of knowing how long recycled PS prices will remain high, one recycler expects it to last through May at least. That is when the seasonal boost in the horticultural market starts to wither, and it’s anyone’s guess what the supply/demand balance will look like then.

Chinese soak up R-PET

As for PET, virgin prices have been going up, but so have prices of baled bottles. One reason is said to be huge exports to China, which have led to reduced availability on the West Coast and thus purchases of bales from the East by some big Western recyclers. Clear pellets have gone up 2-4¢/lb in the past few months.

R-PVC takes off

Recycled PVC prices have shot up about 6¢/lb in the first quarter of this year. This jump isn’t raising many eyebrows, since virgin PVC resin prices have been on the rise as well.