Want to do something positive for the environment as you purchase your plastic pellets? Recycled plastic pellets might be a good option for you! In this post we will explore the pros and cons of using recycled plastic pellets for your applications.
First of all, a word of a caution. We covered this in our "safety first" blog post, but we want to be sure the all of our customers and potential customers understand the need for caution when purchasing pellets. Plastic pellets can contain a very large variety of "additives" which will provide some sort of functionality to the product. There are color additives, slip additives, antiblock additives, antistatic additives, degradeable additives, stabilizing additives, antimicrobial additives, and the list goes on and on and on! On top of these additives, the recycled plastic could have been exposed to many different chemicals or substances during its useful life. Agricultural films, for example, will often times be exposed to herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals. While most of these are non toxic in nature, some of them can be very nasty. For this reason, NEVER buy a plastic pellet unless you know where it comes from and the seller can tell you if there are any toxic additives, chemicals, or allergens associated with the pellets. I see many different products advertised in the marketplace that are clearly recycled products, but which do not even disclose the fact that they are recycled...let alone where they came from!!! Also, some of these additives can have a nasty odor, so PLEASE, be careful when buying recycled plastic pellets.
Now, here at PlasticPellets4Fun we not only give you the option to purchase recycled plastic pellets, but we also provide a price incentive to "go green"! With over 30 years of experience buying, selling, and processing plastic pellets, we know where to find clean product at the best possible prices. We guarantee that our products are safe for the applications we recommend and they are free of toxic materials.
There are many different polymers that can be used to make recycled plastic pellets. Again, if you are not buying from an expert you will want to be careful. I recently saw a pellet advertised at a very low price, so I was curious to know how the seller could afford to sell at these ridiculous prices. I soon found out why. They were actually selling a pellet which is designed to be "biodegradeable". In other words, the product they were selling will attract microorganisms in order to break down the polymer over time. Can you imagine putting something like this into a weighted blanket for your child? I am sure the seller had no idea what they were selling or promoting! You will want to focus on polymers that are designed to be stable and long lasting with a higher melt temperature in order to withstand the rigors of commercial washer and dryers! Examples include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, nylon, and ABS. Please do not use PVC or vinyl products. Some of these contain plasticizers which are currently suspected of causing some health risks. I don't believe that this is going to be a problem, but just to be safe, please stay away from PVC or vinyls. As always, contact us if you have questions! But...just to be safe...is you purchase from PlasticPellets4Fun, you will have no worries!!! Have fun.