Reference
Product & grade index
This trade speaks its own language: 98/2, B3011, IV, hot wash. The index defines the polymers, scrap grades, finished products and trade terms — codes included. Every code on our product pages links back here.
51 entries
A
- A.TR vs origin declarationTwo documents that traders in this corridor confuse at their cost. The A.TR movement certificate belongs to the EU–Türkiye customs union: it certifies goods are
- ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)ABS is the tough, glossy engineering styrenic of appliance housings, automotive interior trim, luggage and toy bricks. It combines styrene's processability, acr
- Annex VIIAnnex VII is the one-page document that accompanies every green-list waste shipment under Article 18 of the Waste Shipment Regulation — the paperwork backbone o
B
- B3011B3011 is the Basel Convention entry, effective since 2021, that defines which plastic waste may move internationally under the lighter green-list procedure inst
- Bale specificationA bale specification is the written definition of what a bale must be for a trade to complete at the agreed price: material and grade (LDPE 95/5, PET clear), co
- Big-bag / FIBC scrapFIBCs — flexible intermediate bulk containers, "big-bags" or "jumbo bags" — are woven polypropylene sacks carrying 500–2,000 kg of powders and granules across e
- Bin liners (swing / pedal / wheelie)Bin liners are sized to the bin, not the load: pedal bin liners (typically 10–25 L), swing bin liners (40–60 L), and wheelie bin liners (120–360 L) for the whee
D
E
- EA carrier / broker / dealerEngland's registration regime for everyone who moves or trades waste, run by the Environment Agency. A carrier transports waste; a broker arranges its recovery
- End-of-wasteEnd-of-waste is the legal moment a material stops being "waste" and becomes a product — leaving waste regulation, waste shipment controls and waste stigma behin
F
G
- Garment coversGarment covers are the light, clear LDPE sleeves protecting hung clothing through laundering, warehousing and transport: continuous perforated rolls for dry cle
- Green list waste"Green list" is the category of wastes considered low-risk enough to cross borders for recovery without prior written consent from the authorities — moving inst
- Gusseted bagsA gusset is a folded expansion pleat that lets a flat bag open into a volume. Side gussets expand a bag's depth — the classic form for box liners and bulk-conta
H
- HDPE (high-density polyethylene)HDPE is the stiff, chemical-resistant polyethylene of milk bottles, detergent bottles, drums, crates and pipe. Density runs 0.94–0.97 g/cm³. The scrap trade spl
- HIPS sheetHigh-impact polystyrene sheet is the print and packaging workhorse of the styrenics: an even matt-or-gloss surface that takes print superbly, deep-draws without
- Heavy-duty bagHeavy-duty bags are the thick-gauge end of the bag spectrum: 70–100 µm and beyond, in LDPE or co-extruded constructions, engineered for hardware, produce, multi
- Hot wash vs cold washThe washing step defines a recycling plant's output quality. A cold wash uses ambient or warm water with friction to remove loose dirt and some labels — adequat
I
L
- LDPE (low-density polyethylene)LDPE is the soft, flexible polyethylene of films: pallet shrink, collation film, carrier bags, sacks. In scrap trading, LDPE film is graded by a colour ratio: 9
- LLDPE (linear low-density PE)LLDPE is the linear cousin of LDPE: higher tensile strength and puncture resistance at thin gauges, which is why virtually all stretch/pallet wrap is LLDPE. As
- Lidding filmLidding film seals the top of a tray: the peelable or lock-sealed layer on ready meals, dairy pots and protein packs. It is an engineered laminate — commonly PE
M
- MDPE (medium-density PE)MDPE sits between LDPE and HDPE at roughly 0.93–0.94 g/cm³, trading some of HDPE's stiffness for better stress-crack resistance and a softer feel. Its signature
- MFI / MFR (melt flow index)Melt flow index measures how many grams of molten polymer flow through a standard die in ten minutes under a set load and temperature (190 °C/2.16 kg for PE; 23
- Mailing bagsMailing bags are the e-commerce workhorse: opaque co-extruded LDPE (typically a grey outer over a black inner for privacy) with a permanent self-seal strip, oft
- Mass balanceMass balance is a chain-of-custody accounting model: certified input (recycled or bio-based feedstock) is mixed with conventional input in a shared system, and
- Mixed rigid plastics"Mixed rigids" is the catch-all for unsorted hard plastics from civic amenity sites, MRF residuals and bulky-waste dismantling: a jumble of PP, HDPE, ABS, PS an
P
- PA6 / PA66 (nylon)The polyamides are engineering polymers prized for toughness, wear resistance and heat performance: PA6 (melting ≈ 220 °C) in fibre, film and general engineerin
- PC (polycarbonate)Polycarbonate is the transparent engineering polymer of safety glazing, water-cooler bottles, automotive lighting and electronic housings — exceptional impact s
- PCR / PIRThe two letters that decide what a recycled-content claim is worth. PCR — post-consumer recyclate — comes from material that completed its life with an end user
- PET (polyethylene terephthalate)PET is the clear, strong polyester behind drinks bottles, thermoformed trays and textile fibre — and the most-recycled plastic on earth. The trade distinguishes
- PET sheet (APET)Amorphous PET sheet is the clear rigid film of thermoformed packaging: food trays, blisters, clamshells, lidding bases. Typical thickness runs 150–1200 µm, supp
- PLA (polylactic acid)PLA is the best-known bioplastic: made from fermented plant starch, industrially compostable, used in food-service disposables, clear cups, 3D-printing filament
- PMMA (acrylic)PMMA — acrylic — is the optically clearest commodity polymer: signage, glazing, light guides, automotive lamp covers, sanitary ware. Cast sheet and extruded she
- POM (polyoxymethylene / acetal)POM — acetal — is the precision engineer's polymer: high stiffness, superb dimensional stability, a naturally slippery surface. Gears, bearings, zips, aerosol v
- PP (polypropylene)Polypropylene is the most versatile commodity polymer: rigid packaging (tubs, buckets, crates), raffia/woven tape for big-bags and sacks, BOPP film for labels a
- PP sheetPolypropylene sheet serves two distinct markets. Thin-gauge (0.3–1.2 mm) feeds thermoforming: food pots with heat resistance PET lacks, industrial trays, return
- PRN / PERNPRNs are the currency of the UK's packaging producer-responsibility system. Accredited reprocessors issue a Packaging Waste Recovery Note for each tonne of pack
- PS / HIPS / EPS / XPSThe styrenics family: GPPS (general-purpose polystyrene) is glass-clear and brittle — CD cases, laboratory ware; HIPS adds rubber for impact strength — yoghurt
- PVC (polyvinyl chloride)PVC splits into two materials that trade separately. Rigid PVC (PVC-U) — window profiles, pipes, fittings, credit cards — recycles well into profile and pipe co
- Pallet-top sheetsThe humblest product in the index and one of the highest-volume: a pre-cut LDPE sheet laid over a pallet load before wrapping or hooding, closing the "roof" tha
- Patch handle bagThe patch handle bag is a die-cut carrier with a welded reinforcing patch inside each face around the handle punch. The patch spreads load into a wider area of
- Post-industrial vs post-consumerThe recycling economy's most important distinction. Post-industrial (PIR, also "pre-consumer") material never reached a consumer: converter offcuts, skeleton wa
R
- RPET thermoforming rollAn RPET thermoforming roll is PET sheet with declared recycled content, slit to the former's feed width and wound to agreed roll geometry — the form in which re
- Refuse sack duty gradesRefuse sacks are graded by the load they genuinely carry, not the plastic they contain. The working ladder: light duty (10–15 kg — office and washroom waste), m
- rPET (recycled PET)rPET is PET recovered from post-consumer bottles (and, less commonly, trays and fibre) and returned to use as flake or pellet. The commercial ladder runs: hot-w
S
T
- T-shirt (vest) bagThe t-shirt or vest bag is the world's most manufactured bag: an HDPE tube with die-cut shoulder handles whose silhouette names it. Engineering-wise it is remar
- TFS / notified procedureTFS — transfrontier shipment of waste — is the umbrella term for the regulatory regime, and "notification" is its heavyweight procedure: prior written consent f
- TPE / TPU (thermoplastic elastomers)Thermoplastic elastomers behave like rubber but process like plastic — no vulcanisation, fully remeltable, and therefore recyclable in a way thermoset rubber ne