The study at Eureka Recycling revealed that sorting and processing film, particularly from the pre-sort and fiber lines, pose significant challenges for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs).
- In the pre-sort house, despite incurring a cost of $0.50 per lb. ($1001.75 per ton) for film sorting, the process was deemed impractical due to the substantial labor required. Consequently, separate baling was discontinued.
- The main sort house saw even greater inefficiency, with film sorting from the fiber line costing $1.70 per lb. ($3400 per ton) due to the nature of smaller and lighter film pieces.
- Optics for film separation were explored but presented a high estimated cost of $0.70 to $2.65 per lb. ($1400 to $5300 per ton).
Beyond the economic challenges, the study underscored safety concerns associated with film in MRFs, indicating that even with a potentially higher market value, the safety and equipment impact may outweigh the financial benefits, making film processing in MRFs costly and ineffective.
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