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Home | Post-Consumer Plastic Recycling – Shredders for Efficiently Processing Household Plastic Waste

Post-Consumer Plastic Recycling – Shredders for Efficiently Processing Household Plastic Waste

High-Performance Plastic Recycling Machines for Post-Consumer Waste
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A lot of colorful post-consumer plastic with blurred foreground
A lot of shredded colorful plastic trash falling from a conveyor belt.
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If you want to process used plastics economically, you need a reliable solution for the first and decisive process step: shredding. Whether packaging, films, containers or rigid plastics - depending on the input material, a robust, adaptable shredder technology is required that delivers consistently good results even with changing material flows.
The requirement for industrial plastic recyclates is a uniform flake size as the basis for subsequent cleaning, extrusion and regranulation. WEIMA shredders are designed precisely for this purpose. Thanks to decades of experience, we know what is important in daily operation: maximum operational reliability, low wear, high-throughput performance and a solution that can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems.

Customer applications: Post-consumer plastic shredding and recycling with WEIMA

Practical examples of successful recycling with WEIMA machines
an orange WEIMA shredder W5.18 at a plastics recycler in the Netherlands
Post-consumer plastics shredding
Shredding of PP flowerpots and post-consumer waste using 4 WEIMA Shredders at Aufderhaar Recycling
Take a behind-the-scenes look at Aufderhaar Kunststof Recycling from the Netherlands and their plastic recycling. Explore their upgraded production lines, featuring 4 powerful WEIMA shredders, that enable them to shred and recycle post-consumer waste and PP flowerpots.
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orange weima shredder fed by forklift at stiphout plastic production site
Post-consumer plastics shredding
Post-Consumer Plastic Shredding with a WEIMA S7.20 lift-up Shredder @Stiphout Plastics, Netherlands
At Stiphout Plastics, a WEIMA S7.20 lift-up shredder processes post-consumer packaging waste. The output could be doubled with the new shredding system.
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baled pst-consumer packaging on a conveyor belt
Post-consumer plastics shredding
Post-consumer plastic recycling with WEIMA S7.25 Shredder
A WEIMA S7.25 single-shaft shredder with hydraulic drive shreds plastic waste from households in Quebec, Canada.
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Roofed Recycled plastic fine parts | rejects dewatering system with a WEIMA press
Draining plastic fine parts
Plastic fine parts dewatering and compression with a WEIMA C.200 drainage press
By the help of a WEIMA C.200 drainage press, plastic fine parts from waste water treatment are dewatered and compacted. Plastic parts are separated from the water by hydraulic pressure. The almost dry plastic parts weigh less and are subsequently cheaper to dispose of.
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WEIMA CSO Kay trained in front of a glazed office
Do you want to recycle post-consumer plastic?

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WEIMA portfolio for shredding post-consumer plastics

The right machine for any material
Single-shaft shredder
W5 series
With rotor lengths of 1,400 to 2,200 mm, the shredders in the W5 series shred large-volume plastic tanks and plastic garbage cans with ease. The hydraulically upward pivoting screen basket and the inspection flap allow foreign objects to be removed quickly and facilitate maintenance. Large quantities of plastic flakes can be transported via the wide conveyor belt cut-out.
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Single-shaft shredder
S7 series
With their extremely sturdy design and large rotor diameters of up to 700 mm, shredders of the S7 series offer almost unlimited possibilities for the shredding of plastic waste. They are up to any challenge and can be equipped with a powerful hydraulic drive.
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Single-shaft shredder
W8 PowerLine series
The machines in the PowerLine series can be used universally. Variable equipment and sizes enable precise adaptation to your specific requirements. The counter knives are user-friendly and can be adjusted from the outside and are protected by an additional cover plate.
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Did you know?
Post-consumer waste consists of 60 percent packaging. Every year, the total volume increases by just under 4 percent.

Source: Initiative Frosch

Post-consumer plastics

The most important at a glance
Conveyor belt with shredded plastic flakes
Difference between post-consumer recycling (PCR) and post-industrial recycling (PIR)
The key difference lies in the origin of the plastic waste. Post-consumer recycling (PCR) is the recycling of used plastic waste that is generated after use by end consumers. This primarily includes plastic packaging from the Yellow Bag, black and yellow waste garbage cans or other household collection systems. After sorting, cleaning and processing, post-consumer recyclates are produced, which are used as raw materials for new products. This contrasts with post-industrial recycling (PIR). Here, industrial plastic waste, such as production surpluses, stamping scrap, sprues or rejects, is collected directly during the manufacturing process and then fed back into production. This closed material cycle is particularly resource-efficient and aims to avoid waste and make full use of valuable raw materials.
baled post-consumer trash outdoor with blue sky
Bales of post-consumer plastics before shredding with a WEIMA shredder
What does post-consumer plastic waste consist of?
Over 85 percent of the 6.28 million tons of plastic waste generated in Germany each year comes from the post-consumer sector. This refers to plastics that have already been used by consumers and then disposed of. This particularly often involves sales packaging such as PET bottles, cups, trays, tubes and various types of packaging film. Styrofoam residues made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and smaller hard plastic products - such as toys, household items or closures - are also included. These post-consumer plastics enter the recycling process via the yellow bag or the yellow recycling garbage can.

Umweltbundesamt | ZDF
mixed post consumer packaging waste inside a weima shredder hopper
Post-consumer plastic washing line
Challenges in the shredding of post-consumer plastic waste
In order to turn used plastics into valuable recyclates or regranulates, they must first be reduced to a flake size that is as homogeneous as possible. However, this is not always easy. Many waste streams contain unwanted foreign matter, which is often hidden in compressed bales. The material quality also varies greatly - be it due to high residual moisture, heavy contamination or unfavorable material combinations. Such mixed fractions pose particular challenges for recyclers. WEIMA offers robust shredder solutions for these requirements, which are designed for use with post-consumer plastic waste. The result is a uniform starting material for further processing - for example in washing systems, extruders or regranulation lines.
Mixed household hard plastic waste
Shredding of post-consumer rigid plastics
Rigid plastics are robust non-packaging plastics that are produced using thermoforming, injection molding or extrusion processes. In the post-consumer sector, these include everyday products such as buckets, watering cans, flower pots, laundry baskets and garden furniture. Despite their high raw material value, many discarded hard plastics end up in residual waste, yellow bags or even bulky waste after use and are often thermally recycled. The better solution is to recycle post-consumer rigid plastics. A WEIMA shredder shreds the material into high-quality plastic flakes, which serve as the basis for recyclate and new recycling products. This is how the circular economy is put into practice.
wall made of recycled plastic scrap, Credit: Precious Plastic
Hard plactis bins before shredding
Where are post-consumer recycled plastics (recyclates and regranulates) used?
Regranulates and recyclates made from post-consumer plastics have long been an integral part of numerous everyday products. Modern processes enable the production of high-quality plastic products from secondary raw materials. Recyclates are used, for example, in packaging solutions such as films, bottles or blister packs. Products for the garden and household sector - such as buckets, storage boxes or garbage cans - are also often made largely from recycled plastic. In the construction industry, they are used for the production of pipes and cable protection systems. Components made from post-consumer plastics can even be found in the automotive sector, for example in interior trim. The recycling of used plastic products is a central component of the circular economy and, thanks to suitable shredding solutions from WEIMA, what appears to be waste becomes a valuable raw material for the future.
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A pile of wet plastic fines in various colors

Plastic fine parts after washing? How to optimize your recycling process

In post-consumer plastic recycling, finely shredded plastic waste is produced after washing, which is difficult to process further. These fines are often heavily soaked, which increases their weight – and therefore the disposal costs – considerably. The WEIMA C.200 drainage press offers an economical solution for this: it dewaters and presses wet plastic waste in an automated process. With the help of sensor-controlled filling, a stand-by function to reduce wear and two independently operating press plungers with a changeover system, the C.200 Duo ensures maximum efficiency and minimum downtime. This allows liquid to be reliably removed from fine fractions, disposal costs to be significantly reduced and the recycling process to be economically optimized.

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Roofed Recycled plastic fine parts | rejects dewatering system with a WEIMA press
Dewatered and compressed gray lumps of plastic fines on the discharge pipes of a WEIMA C.200 Duo
A pile of dewatered and compressed gray lumps of plastic fine parts
water drains inside a metal collection bin
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Good to know.
In 2019, almost two million tons of recyclate were recovered from post-consumer and post-industrial waste in Germany alone and reused for the production of new plastics. The main user is the construction industry, followed by the packaging industry, agriculture, the automotive sector and the electrical industry. The general share of plastic recyclate from post-consumer residual materials is around seven percent – that is roughly the amount of one million tons.

Source: VCI

WEIMA plastic recycling workspace with shredder and injection moulding machine
Post-consumer packaging shredded to 15 mm plastic flakes inside a box underneath a shredder
Precious Plastic Workshop at WEIMA with 2 people in front of machines
man prepares injection molding machine
Precious Plastic employee talks to a visitor at K 2022 fair
Recycled products made from high-quality plastic are on the table
yellow Shredded PP plastics and carabiner

Precious Plastic x WEIMA

The Precious Plastic initiative, founded over a decade ago by Dave Hakkens in the Netherlands, is one of the most popular and active recycling programs in the world with over 40,000 members and 400 workspaces. Precious Plastic informs and trains people in developing countries who want to set up their own recycling business and at the same time offers plans and know-how in the open source and open hardware model to build recycling technology and equipment themselves.

This includes injection molding machines, extruders and sheet presses - and of course shredders. After all, any plastic that is to be recycled must first be shredded. Precious Plastic has been cooperating with WEIMA for some time for this purpose. WEIMA has developed a compact single-shaft shredder that consists largely of standard parts and is easy and inexpensive to replicate. As a first step, WEIMA has provided Precious Plastic with five shredders free of charge for future projects. An initial presentation of the collaboration could be seen at the K 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf. (To the video)
Free material tests in the WEIMA technical center
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woman in front of a weima shredder
August 27, 2024

Shredding and dewatering – Strong WEIMA duo for post-consumer plastic recycling at Stiphout Plastics

Stiphout Plastics uses a S7.20 lift-up shredder and a C.200 drainage press from WEIMA to recycle post-consumer plastics in the Netherlands.

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an orange WEIMA shredder W5.18 at a plastics recycler in the Netherlands
November 2, 2023

Shredder quartet for Aufderhaar Kunststof Recycling in the Netherlands

For the processing of post-consumer waste (PE) and flower pots (PP), four large WEIMA shredders are used for secondary shredding at the Veolia Nederland subsidiary Aufderhaar Kunststof Recycling in Vroomshoop. The regranulate produced in this way is then reused for the production of packaging materials.

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August 5, 2022

Doubling Down on Plastics Recycling

Butler-MacDonald, Inc. is an American plastics recycling specialist which takes great pride in processing hard-to-handle plastic scrap from various sources, including post-industrial and post-consumer waste streams.

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Practical examples and references | Post-consumer plastic recycling with WEIMA

WEIMA shredders are synonymous with efficient plastics recycling worldwide including at

Remondis
Cedo
Veolia

Frequently Asked Questions about Post-Consumer Waste Shredding

Everything you need to know about safely and efficiently shredding Post-Consumer Plastics.
How do I know if a shredder like the WEIMA S7.20 is right for my recycling facility?

If you're processing a large volume of post-consumer plastics, especially mixed materials like packaging, films, and rigid containers, the WEIMA S7.20 lift-up shredder could be a good fit. It's designed for high-throughput performance and includes a hydraulic drive and lift-up design that help boost output and reduce manual handling.

What’s involved in integrating a WEIMA shredder into an existing recycling line?

WEIMA shredders are designed to integrate smoothly into existing systems. They’re compatible with upstream and downstream equipment, and their consistent flake output helps simplify further processing like extrusion or regranulation. Installation specifics would depend on your current setup.

How does consistent flake size impact the next stages of plastic recycling?

Uniform flake size from shredding helps make downstream processes like washing, extrusion, and regranulation more efficient and reliable. It reduces clogging, improves melt consistency, and leads to higher-quality recyclates. WEIMA’s shredders are built with this in mind.

How do WEIMA shredders ensure consistent flake size and quality output?

WEIMA machines feature robust rotors, engineered cutting tools and adjustable screens, enabling the creation of homogeneous flakes suited for downstream processing. A uniform output flake size ensures that washing, extrusion and regranulation run smoothly and efficiently.

What challenges are typical for shredding post-consumer plastics, and how does WEIMA address them?

Post-consumer wastes often contain foreign materials, high moisture levels, contamination and mixed polymer streams. WEIMA systems counter these with heavy-duty design, maintenance-friendly features (inspection flaps, swing ram, large feed openings) and options for hydraulic drives or upgraded geometry to handle tough conditions.

What should I look for when selecting the right shredder size and configuration?

Consider the types of plastics you process, the volume per hour, expected flake size and available floor space. WEIMA recommends submitting representative material for testing, after which we propose the optimal shredding solution inclusive of feeding, screening and downstream integration.

What’s the best way to deal with wet plastic waste that’s driving up our disposal costs?

If moisture in your plastic waste is increasing disposal fees, a drainage press like the WEIMA C.200 might help. It dewaters and compresses plastic fine parts which can significantly cut down volume and moisture before transport.