1.

Closed loop process

Closed Loop recycling is the process of taking industrial scrap or waste and turning it
back into its original state for re-manufacturing. Since 1980, MRC Polymers has
developed state of the art technology for upgrading landfill bound scrap into high
quality engineered plastics for re-manufacturing. MRC is able to recover the total
value from your material while keeping our natural resources here in the USA.
Increase product sustainability and reduce costs with industrial scrap recycling and
closed-loop solutions.
MRC knows that every situation is unique and we are committed to solving your oneof-a-kind needs. Each challenge excites our professional team to scope out a complex
situation and deliver the most appropriate engineering solution. In meeting the
specific needs of our industrial partners, we have built offsite processes, expanded our
facilities, and reached new heights in state-of-the-art processing.
This leads to the philosophy of Closed Loop Recycling, which suggests that we
should only use materials to manufacture products, that can be continually recycled
and reused (100%). Potentially this could ensure future supply of our valuable
resources and also protect the environment.
For this to work, there needs to be a change in the way products are designed and
manufactured. Designers should select materials, that can be recycle an infinite
number of times and be used again and again. The materials are regarded as
borrowed, for the length of the products useful working life. When the product is no
longer usable / working, every component / part is recycled back into raw materials,
ready for the manufacture of a new product.
Closed Loop Recycling normally means, that a company manufactures a product,
customers buy the product and then return it at the end of its useful life. The company
then recycles all the materials back into the same product, ready for resale. No new
raw materials are used in this process. This is a closed system.
EXAMPLE OF A MATERIAL IDEAL FOR CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING
PET / PETE is 100% recyclable, making it ideal for closed loop
recycling. In this way, PET / PETE is a sustainable material.
Most households use plastic recycling bins and help in the
sorting process. PET / PETE is lightweight and can be crushed,
so that it is easy to collect and transport to recycling plants.
PET / PETE can be recycled back, either to its original
elements or into other products. It can be used to manufacture a

range of useful products, from containers to clothes and carpets.

Factors affecting recycling of plastics - Recycling and re-utilization of waste
plastics have several advantages. Recycling and re-utilization of waste plastics lead to
a reduction of the use of virgin materials and of the use of energy, thus also a
reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Economically, in some cases, plastics
recycling may be profitable. However, a number of factors can complicate the
practice of plastics recycling, such as the collection of the plastics waste, separation of
different types of plastics, cleaning of the waste and possible pollution of the plastics.
A further complicating factor is the low-value nature of most of the products that can
be manufactured from recycled plastics. Reusing plastic is preferable to recycling as it
uses less energy and fewer resources.
Advantages of reuse and recycle of plastics It has been observed, to reduce bad
effects of waste plastics, it is better to recycle and re-utilize waste plastics in
environment-friendly manners. As per statistics, about 80% of post-consumer plastic
waste is sent to landfill, 8% is incinerated and only 7% is recycled. In addition to
reducing the amount of plastics waste requiring disposal, recycling and reuse of
plastic can have several other advantages, such as:
(i) Conservation of non-renewable fossil fuels Plastic production uses 8% of the
worlds oil production, 4% as feedstock and 4% during manufacture.
(ii) Reduced consumption of energy.
(iii) Reduced amounts of solid waste going to landfill.
(iv) Reduced emissions of carbon-dioxide (CO2), nitrogen-oxides (NOx) and sulfurdioxide (SO2).