Our Process

How Our rPET Is Made

PolyQuest has invested heavily in our recycling assets, and we take pride in providing a high-quality rPET to our customers. We use the best quality of PET flakes to produce resin that can be used in various applications including food packaging. We have more than a decade of experience in producing the highest-quality rPET for our customers, and we are always available to assist in finding the best product for their needs.

Our process takes PET bales, converts them to washed flake, and extrudes them into rPET resin. This resin is produced under conditions that allow direct food-contact applications in addition to melt filtration that will meet most application needs.

Our Capabilities

Shredding
Shredding is the process of size-reducing materials to allow for further processing of the material
Grinding

Grinding is the process of size-reducing materials to very small pieces that can’t be done by shredding alone

Drying

Drying is the process of removing the surface and internal moisture of materials to allow for further processing

Extruding

Extrusion is the process of melting material in a certain form to allow it to be transformed into another product

Pelletizing

Pelletizing takes the melted material from the extrusion process and converts into pellets

Filtration

Filtration is the process of removing contaminates in the extrusion process via filter media

Crystallization

Crystallization is the process of aligning the polymer chains to allow for further processing like drying

IV Enhancement

IV Enhancement is the process of raising the intrinsic viscosity of PET to allow it to be used in different applications

Our Process

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1
Consumers recycle their beverage bottles via curbside or deposit.
2

A materials recovery facility or recycling company transports the bottles to a recycling facility.

3

The plastic is sorted and consolidated into an rPET bale or ground flake by the recycling facility.

4

The rPET bales and flake are sent to our recycling facility in Long Island, New York.

5

The feedstocks are further sorted, ground, and washed into the highest-quality post-consumer rPET flake in the market.

Flake Process

The feedstocks go through a process including a uniform grind, wash, label removal, cap removal, metal separation, dry, color separation, and final quality check to achieve a food-grade plastic flake.
6

The rPET flake is sold to a PET converter and turned into consumer goods.

PolyQuest’s recycling facility in Darlington, South Carolina, has the ability to convert the plastic flake into food-grade plastic pellets.

Pellet Process

The flakes go through a process including a blend, metal removal, dry, IV enhancement (flake), extrude, melt filter, pelletize, crystallize, fines removal, IV enhancement (pellet), and final quality check to achieve a food-grade plastic pellet.

Our Exclusive Line of Recycled Plastics

Our Proven Recycling Process