Plastic is a polymer material derived from petrochemicals and is widely used worldwide as a packaging material due to its low price and excellent performance. The environmental impact of plastics is mainly reflected in several aspects. First, virgin plastics are the product of the refining and processing of fossil fuel oil, so the carbon footprint of plastics includes high carbon emissions from upstream. The production and refining of petroleum has also always had a non-negligible environmental impact. Secondly, polymer plastics originating from petroleum do not degrade on their own in the natural environment. Large pieces of plastic waste that slowly deteriorate and crumble through wind and rain into microplastics can be even more hazardous to ecosystems and human health.

Most company manufacturing the packing use a large amount of plastic packaging, including containers of rigid plastic, such as beverage bottles and mineral water bottles (the material is mainly PET), containers for chemicals and daily necessities (the material is mainly HDPE), and food containers (PP, PS). In addition, soft plastic bags, cling film, and plastic film (mainly made of LDPE and PP) are also widely used.

In order to meet the global environmental challenges posed by plastics, enterprises have an obligation to promote the implementation of relevant "plastic reduction" initiatives within their own operations. Faced with the current state of plastic use and the development of alternative technologies, most companies are now presenting their sustainable packaging initiatives on the following points:

Reduce the use of virgin plastics. The most direct way to reduce plastic use is through lightweight packaging, the use of alternative materials such as paper, and reducing the amount of packaging used. In addition, the use of recycled plastics, and bio-based biodegradable materials (e.g., PLA and PHA) as an alternative to fossil-fueled virgin plastics is also a way to reduce the use of virgin plastics.

Improve the recyclability, reusability, and compostability (recyclable, reusable, compostable, or RRC) of packaging materials. Simplifying packaging and using a single material can improve recyclability. Changing the design of packaging to make it reusable and utilizing more biodegradable materials are also viable options.

Increase the proportion of recycled plastics used. Used plastics are recycled and processed into post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics that can directly replace virgin plastics in packaging. From the perspective of performance and cost, manufacturers still do not use a large proportion of recycled plastics.

Most post-industrial and consumer rigid plastics end up in landfills. They are thus deprived of the opportunity to be recycled and enter the circular economy. However, as society, companies and people become more environmentally conscious, more and more people are getting involved in recycling. The most common recycling method for rigid plastics is physical recycling, and the GREENMAX Rigid Plastic Granulator is a machine that processes rigid plastic raw materials into pellets. It is commonly used in plastics recycling and reuse processes, as well as in the production of new plastic products, and can help to easily achieve recycling and ESG goals!

● Rigid plastic granulator is a kind of equipment to process rigid plastic raw materials into granular form. The working principle generally includes the following steps:

● Feeding: Rigid plastic wastes or raw materials are put into the feeding hopper of the granulator.

● Heating and melting: Through the heating device, the plastic is heated to a molten state.

● Extrusion: The molten plastic is extruded under the push of the screw.

● Pelletizing: The extruded plastic is cut into pellets through the granulator.

● Cooling: The pellets pass through a cooling device to solidify and mold.

● Sieving: The pellets are sorted through a sieving device to remove unqualified pellets.

The exact principle of operation may vary depending on the type and design of the granulator, but the general idea is to convert rigid plastics into pellets through the processes of melting, extruding, pelletizing and cooling. This principle of operation allows the rigid plastic granulator to efficiently process the plastic raw material and produce a pelletized product that meets the requirements. The shape and size of the pellets can be adjusted as needed. The advantages of this equipment include:

● Improving material utilization: processing waste rigid plastics into pellets reduces waste and improves resource utilization.

● Lower production costs: recycling and reusing plastic pellets can reduce raw material costs.

● Strong adaptability: It can process many different types of rigid plastics, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and so on.

● High production efficiency: high degree of automation, able to produce large quantities of plastic pellets quickly.

When choosing a rigid plastic granulator, you need to consider factors such as the capacity of the equipment, power, the type of plastic it is suitable for, and the quality of the pellets. In addition, attention should also be paid to the safety, reliability and ease of operation of the equipment. If you need more detailed information, you can consult GreenMax.