PE foam is widely used in the packaging of electronic components because of its good barrier properties. Currently, the European and British markets mainly use the packaging produced by the two major PE manufacturers, sealed air and jiffy. After use, the packaged product is generally sent to landfill as waste. However, under the impetus of circular economy and plastic tax, PE foam recycling has been pushed to the forefront. Circular economy advocates the recycling of all waste plastics, and plastic tax emphasizes the recycling of waste plastics by manufacturers. Different countries have issued production regulations. The amount of fines and plans that manufacturers will face if they do not increase the use of a certain percentage of waste plastics.

The UK's plastic packaging tax applies at a rate of £200 per ton and applies to any plastic packaging produced in or imported into the UK that contains less than 30 percent recycled plastic. Italy and Spain is due to levy a plastic packaging tax at a rate of 450 euros per ton from January 2023. Spain is planning to implement a plastic tax like Italy’s, at 450 euros per ton beginning in January 2023. Portugal is collecting a contribution of 30 euro per single-use plastic or aluminum packaging for ready-made meals. Poland has published draft legislation regarding plastic packaging for consumer use, with a planned start date of January 2023. Therefore, many European and UK PE industry related manufacturers, cutters, logistics and recyclers are actively participating in PE recycling and cooperating with each other to promote PE recycling.

At the beginning of 2021, a British logistics company that helps the famous PE manufacturer Sealed Air transport materials consulted INTCO Recycling for PE recycling technology and equipment through a local recycling equipment company. The company is responsible for transporting PE packaging products to PE cutters located in different cities in the UK, and then transports the PE scraps generated during the cutting process by the cutters back to the warehouse. However, because the PE foam packaging is too light, it is difficult for Sealed air to transport it to the company for recycling. Therefore, the logistics company plans to initially recycle the materials in the company warehouse.

INTCO has been committed to the PE foam recycling industry for more than 10 years and is very professional in the field of foam recycling. According to the non-crosslinked recyclable PE waste provided by the company, GREENMAX PE foam compactor ZC200 with an automatic cut-off setting was recommended to this company. On the one hand, the machine can help customers greatly reduce the volume of waste and wrap the raw materials through surface hot-melt technology to prevent loosening. On the other hand, the automatic cutting setting can automatically cut the material according to the set length, which greatly saves labor costs.

Compressed PE blocks are called secondary raw materials, which are completely separated from waste properties and belong to the recycling system, with a value of about 400 to 700 euros per ton. PE manufacturers use recycled PE compressed blocks to produce new packaging or packaging fillings after pelletizing. INTCO Recycling has largely helped the logistics company build a bridge with end-users. The transformation from waste to raw materials also follows the principle of circular economy, which can avoid plastic tax and bring considerable benefits to the logistics company. INTCO Recycling can provide a variety of foam compactors to help customers who need to recycle foam. The future must belong to the world of recycling and reuse.