Comparison of Recycling Solutions for Waste Soft Plastic Packaging Materials and Plastic Films

The characteristics of soft plastics and plastic films are light weight and large volume, which leads to low collection and transportation efficiency and high cost. Moreover, it is prone to contamination and requires a lot of cleaning. So, what specific recycling plans are there?

Here, DOING has provided a detailed comparison of the main solutions for the recycling of waste soft plastic packaging and plastic films, helping everyone understand their differences and find the most suitable plastic recycling way.

DOING soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis plant

1. Traditional Disposal: An Outdated Approach

At first, plastic recycling was largely carried out by landfill or incineration, resulting in a huge waste of resources, also poses a risk of environmental pollution. The increase in global crude oil prices has naturally led to a rise in the prices of plastic products, one of the derivatives of petroleum. As a result, the recycling and reuse of waste plastics have been given top priority, and this approach was subsequently abandoned.

2. Mechanical Recycling: Widely Used but Limited

Mechanical recycling involves manual or automated sorting, thorough washing, crushing into flakes, and melt-extrusion into granules. These pellets can be reused for low-grade products like plastic lumber or bags. For soft plastics, however, the process is inefficient: films clump in washers, increasing water use, and contamination reduces purity. While, it struggles with the heterogeneous nature of packaging wastes.

3. Chemical Recycling: Promising but Not Yet Scalable

Chemical methods dissolve or break down plastics into base chemicals for repolymerization into virgin-like materials. Techniques like pyrolysis-assisted depolymerization work well for PET films but are less effective for polyolefin-based soft plastics due to their stability. The process demands high temperatures and catalysts, with costs 2-3 times higher than mechanical methods. Pilot plants show 85% recovery rates, but scaling for voluminous films remains challenging, with limited commercial adoption. It's ideal for high-value applications but impractical for widespread soft plastic waste.

4. Pyrolysis: The Superior Solution for Soft Plastics

Pyrolysis currently stands out as the most popular and economically viable method for recycling waste soft plastic packaging and films. This thermochemical process heats materials to 300-400°C in an oxygen-free environment, breaking long polymer chains into shorter hydrocarbons without oxygen, thus avoiding combustion emissions.

Key Steps in the Pyrolysis Process

Feeding and Pre-Treatment: Shredded soft plastics and plastic films are fed into a reactor. No extensive cleaning needed—contaminants like labels or residues are handled during pyrolysis.

Pyrolysis Reaction: High-temperature cracking vaporizes plastics into oil gas.

Condensation: Multi-stage condensers cool vapors into liquid pyrolysis oil and non-condensable syngas.

Slag Discharge and Byproduct Processing: Solid carbon black is discharged and processed into powder. Flue gas is treated via cooling, desulfurization, denitrification, and dust removal for zero emissions.

Energy Recycling: Syngas fuels the pyrolysis reactor, achieving self-sufficiency and reducing external fuel needs.

This closed-loop system converts "valueless" soft plastics and plastic films into high-value products, with DOING pyrolysis plant processing 100kg-50 tons/day.

DOING soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis plant working process

The following are several products obtained through pyrolysis:

1. Pyrolysis oil

The oil and gas produced by pyrolysis can be condensed through condensation equipment to obtain pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil is a liquid product generated after the decomposition of used plastic film at high temperatures. It is mainly heavy oil with strong fluidity and a relatively high calorific value. Plastic pyrolysis oil can be used as fuel in industrial boilers, cement plants and other places, replacing traditional coal or natural gas, meeting the requirements of high-temperature combustion and reducing energy usage costs.

Applications of soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis oil

2. Pyrolysis syngas

The non-condensable gas produced by pyrolysis, also known as syngas, mainly contains components such as methane and ethane and is flammable. After being processed by a unique desulfurization and deodorization device, these syngas can be directly used to provide heat for the pyrolysis reactor, reducing fuel consumption.

DOING soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis plant syngas recycling system

3. Carbon black

The solid residue produced by pyrolysis is carbon black, which appears as black powder. After being ground into powder and granulated, carbon black can be added to rubber products (such as tires and hoses) to enhance the strength and wear resistance of the materials. Through the modification of carbon black, it can also be applied to high-end fields such as battery electrodes and capacitors, expanding its application value.

Usages of soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis carbon black

Compared to other methods, plastic pyrolysis excels for soft plastics and plastic films: it achieves 85-90% resource recovery, handles contamination without pre-washing, and generates revenue from multiple streams (pyrolysis oil sells for $400-600/ton). Environmentally, it reduces landfill use by 90% and emissions by 70% versus incineration.

While traditional disposal wastes resources, mechanical recycling is limited by contamination, and chemical methods lack affordability, pyrolysis emerges as the optimal solution for waste soft plastic packaging and films. It not only mitigates environmental pollution but also unlocks economic value through fuel, gas, and materials recovery—promoting a circular economy.

DOING soft plastic and plastic films pyrolysis plant manufacturer

DOING Company, with over 14 years in pyrolysis innovation, offers customizable pyrolysis plants with PLC automation, safety features (e.g., anti-explosion valves), and CE/ISO certifications. Our pyrolysis solutions have earned the trust and appreciation of customers in more than 100 regions around the world. For more detailed information on our pyrolysis technology and the types of plastics that can be processed, please feel free to contact DOING.