Plastic recycling
Mechanical Plastic Recycling – Sustainably Recovering High-Quality Plastic Raw Materials
Conserving Resources and Keeping Plastics in the Loop
Plastics have become indispensable in our daily lives and modern industry. They are used in packaging, vehicles, electrical appliances, components, and numerous technical applications. However, after use, plastics do not have to become waste. Through mechanical plastic recycling, they can be efficiently reprocessed and returned to the production cycle as high-quality secondary raw materials.
Mechanical plastic recycling is one of the most sustainable methods for processing plastic waste. It reduces the consumption of fossil raw materials, lowers energy requirements compared to producing virgin material, and actively contributes to reducing CO₂ emissions. At the same time, it helps companies meet the demands of a modern circular economy.
What is mechanical plastic recycling?
In mechanical plastic recycling, used plastics or production residues are reprocessed without chemical alteration of the material. Using modern shredding, cleaning, and sorting processes, high-quality plastic recyclates are created that can be reused in many industrial applications.
Materials processed include:
- Production waste from the plastics industry
- Packaging plastics
- Films
- Plastic containers
- Pipes
- Technical plastic parts
- Injection molded parts
- Profiles
- Housings from electrical appliances
- Plastic residues from industrial manufacturing processes
Depending on the material type and quality, numerous thermoplastics can be efficiently recycled, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).
How does mechanical plastic recycling work?
The recycling of plastics takes place in several coordinated process steps. The goal is to obtain high-quality plastic fractions with defined quality for reuse.
1. Material Acceptance and Sorting
The delivered plastic waste is first inspected and sorted by plastic type, color, composition, and purity. Careful pre-sorting is crucial for the quality of the subsequent recyclate.
2. Shredding
Powerful shredders and granulators shred the plastics into small flakes or regrind. This optimally prepares the material for further processing steps.
3. Cleaning
Subsequently, contaminants such as labels, adhesives, paper, metals, or organic residues are removed. Depending on the material, dry or wet cleaning processes are used to achieve the highest possible purity.
4. Separation and Sorting
Modern sorting technologies reliably separate different types of plastics from each other. The following processes are used, among others:
- Screening technology for classifying different particle sizes
- Magnetic separators for removing metallic components
- Air classifiers for separating light foreign matter
- Density separation for sorting different types of plastic
- Sensor and Near-Infrared (NIR) sorting for identifying different polymers
These processes enable particularly high material purity and consistent quality of recycled raw materials.
5. Extrusion and Granulation
The cleaned plastic material is melted, homogenized, and then processed into high-quality plastic granules. This recyclate serves as the raw material for the production of new plastic products.
What products result from plastic recycling?
Mechanical plastic recycling creates high-quality plastic recyclates that are used in numerous industries.
Typical applications include:
- Packaging
- Films
- Pipes and profiles
- Transport containers
- Pallets
- Cable protection systems
- Automotive components
- Housings for electrical appliances
- Construction products
- Technical injection molded parts
- Garden and leisure products
Depending on the material quality, the recyclates can partially or completely replace virgin material, thus making an important contribution to resource conservation.
Advantages of mechanical plastic recycling
Mechanical plastic recycling offers numerous ecological and economic advantages.
Resource Conservation
The reuse of plastics reduces the need for fossil raw materials and extends the life cycle of valuable materials.
Environmental and Climate Protection
The production of plastic recyclates requires significantly less energy than the production of new plastics from crude oil or natural gas. This reduces CO₂ emissions and relieves the burden on the environment.
High Material Quality
Modern recycling plants produce plastic granules with defined properties and consistently high quality for a wide range of industrial applications.
Economic Efficiency
Recycled plastics offer an economical alternative to primary plastics and contribute to securing the supply of raw materials.
Circular Economy
Mechanical plastic recycling keeps valuable materials in the economic cycle and sustainably reduces waste generation.
Sustainability through Modern Recycling Technology
With the increasing demand for plastics, the importance of efficient recycling processes is also growing. Modern facilities enable the high-quality reprocessing of various plastic wastes, creating new raw materials for industry and production.
Through innovative shredding, cleaning, and sorting technologies, plastics are used multiple times instead of being disposed of. Thus, mechanical plastic recycling actively contributes to environmental and climate protection and helps companies achieve their sustainability goals.
MSV GmbH – Your Global Partner for Wear Parts in the Recycling Industry
MSV GmbH is your international contact for high-quality wear parts and spare components for recycling plants. As a globally active supplier, we supply companies in the recycling, waste management, and raw materials industries with durable and high-performance wear parts for a wide variety of plants and applications.
Our product range includes, among others, knives, screens, cutting crowns, counter knives, clamping parts, cutting tools, and numerous other wear parts for most market-established shredders, pre-shredders, single-shaft and twin-shaft shredders, granulators, and recycling plants.
Thanks to our many years of experience and comprehensive technical expertise, we offer tailor-made solutions for almost all common machine manufacturers. Our wear parts impress with the highest material quality, precise manufacturing, and a long service life – even under the most demanding operating conditions. This reduces downtime, lowers maintenance costs, and increases the economic efficiency of your plants.
Whether plastic recycling, wood recycling, tire recycling, cable recycling, metal recycling, electronic waste recycling, rubber recycling, document & data carrier shredding, or the processing of refuse-derived fuels – our components are used worldwide in a wide range of recycling processes and make a decisive contribution to reliable and efficient material processing.
As a globally operating company, we stand for quality, reliability, and fast delivery capability. Together with our customers, we develop economic solutions that are precisely tailored to the requirements of their systems. Our aim is not only to supply high-quality wear parts but also to contribute to the long-term success of our customers as a competent partner.
With MSV GmbH, you choose an experienced specialist who stands worldwide for quality, precision, and high-performance wear parts in recycling technology.
Individual Wear Parts According to Drawing or Sample
Not every wear part is available as a standard component. Therefore, MSV GmbH offers its customers customized solutions for almost every application in shredding and recycling technology.
Thanks to our in-house CAD department and our many years of experience, we are able to precisely offer wear parts according to technical drawings, sketches, or existing samples. Even if no design documents are available, we can take the necessary measurements from a sample, create an exact CAD model, and offer a high-quality spare part based on it.
We place the highest value on precision, material quality, and fitting accuracy. By using high-quality tool steels and modern manufacturing technologies, durable components are created that withstand the highest loads and ensure optimal performance of your systems.
Whether single production, small series, or series production – we develop the right solution for your requirements together with you. From measuring the sample to CAD design to finished production, you get everything from a single source at MSV GmbH.
With our technical expertise, short reaction times, and individual manufacturing capabilities, we are your reliable partner for custom-fit wear parts – even when original parts are no longer available or existing components need to be optimized.