HDPE regrind is scrap HDPE which has been washed, shredded, and is ready to 
be recycled into HDPE pellets or granules, or alternatively melted down and used as raw material for new applications. The bulk of HDPE regrind originates from reclaimed post consumer HDPE scrap, though it can also be obtained from post industrial sources in the form of offcuts, rejected HDPE products, pipes, pallets, and drums. The most common sources of post consumer HDPE regrind are HDPE bags and bottles which are manufactured in their billions every year.
Fortunately fort he environment and manufacturers seeking low cost sources of HDPE, HDPE is a highly recyclable material, which when handled correctly can be recycled several times before it begins to show any signs of breaking down. It has a very strong molecular structure which can stand multiple transitions from the liquid to the solid phase without losing structural integrity.
The process by which HDPE regrind is made essentially a long cleaning process. Post consumer scrap HDPE contains all matter of contaminants from food scraps to metals to glass and even other plastics. Because the kerbside pickup recycling process from which the bulk of HDPE is reclaimed is inherently flawed, being carried out in its initial stages by private citizens, a great deal of effort must go into making sure the HDPE regrind is as close to being pure HDPE as is possible before it is on sold to manufacturers.
The first stage of turning reclaimed scrap HDPE into useful HDPE regrind is removing the large contaminants from the scrap HDPE. Typically, scrap HDPE will arrive at the recycler in large bales, which are then broken open. There are different types and grades of scrap HDPE bales. Some have been sorted and cleaned in advance, with labels and lids removed, others are sold as is, with contaminants, labels, and lids still intact.
Once the bales are broken up, the HDPE scrap is put onto a trommel. The trommel is a rotating device that shakes many of the larger contaminants free of the HDPE. Pieces of glass, stones, metals, and a great deal of dirt are removed via the trommel.
Once the bulk of the large contaminants have been removed, the HDPE scrap must be sorted to separate it from non HDPE plastics which are often mistakenly placed in the bale, and other similar foreign objects visible to the human eye.
When it has been ascertained that the HDPE scrap is now comprised almost entirely of HDPE plastic, and any remaining contaminants are too small to be simply picked out, the HDPE scrap is shredded, cut up into small pieces and subsequently cleaned. Chemical solutions, detergents, and high temperatures are all employed in order to clean up the HDPE. This stage is where many stubborn labels and adhesives are finally removed from the HDPE stream.
Float/sink technology is then used to separate HDPE from the dirt and other contaminants which have been released in the washing process. In the float/sink process the washed scrap HDPE is sent into a water tank. HDPE is lighter than water, so it floats, whereas many contaminants, such as small pieces of metal, glass, or rock are heavier than water, and sink to the bottom. The HDPE is then scooped off the top of the water and dried.
The dryer used to dry the shredded HDPE is a large industrial spin dryer which pumps hot air around the HDPE, drying it and making it ready for the final processing before sale.
The HDPE might be further cut up into smaller pieces and sold as HDPE regrind, or it may undergo melt processing to make HDPE pellets or granules. Melt processing involves melting the HDPE regrind down and passing it through a series of filters to remove the last of the contaminants before extruding the melted HDPE through a die and cutting it into pellets. HDPE which has undergone melt filtration is the cleanest form of scrap HDPE, however HDPE regrind is often used as a raw material in applications where very high levels of purity are not required.
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