Irrigation Dripline Scrap: PE Polymer Recovered – Silicone Removed

Problem / Opportunity:

Major manufacturers of irrigation products and services wanted an alternative to sending their otherwise unusable production scrap to a landfill. Irrigation dripline scrap cannot be reused “as is” because of imbedded thermoset silicone emitters and incompatible polymers. In addition to landfill avoidance, our customers also wanted to recover the valuable PE from their dripline scrap and use it for manufacturing new irrigation tubing.

Impact on Customer:

Landfill costs were significant, and warehouse space was at a premium. In one case, having recently opened a new production plant -startup scrap was significant and growing. In another case, production scrap was an expense that they sought to eliminate.

Solution for Customer:

Butler-MacDonald was able to utilize our proprietary plastics separation processes to recover significant quantities of PE resin, which was further processed to generate a 83% yield of near-prime PE Repro pellets.

Benefit to Customer:

Our customers are now using recycled PE content derived from the unusable dripline scrap back in the manufacture of new irrigation products. Moreover, using Butler-MacDonald has reduced their need for prime PE resin and lowered raw material costs. In a world where carbon foot printing can impact the bottom.