Markets for Rigid Plastics

Several years ago, I cleaned out the back lots of two sign companies and ended up with several thousand pounds of acrylic. It was all the same flat sign material but mixed colors. We found a buyer at 5 cents per pound, but they only bought container loads which had to weigh 40,000 lbs. After searching for extra acrylic to add to our load and hand stacking this stuff; we ended up with 38,000 lbs worth about $1,900.



Hoping that would be good enough we shipped it to Mobile, AL port. After it was barged away, got a letter stating that the load didn't meet the weight requirements and they wouldn't pay at all. We tried to talk reasonably with the company, but they weren't budging, so we took it to court. My Dad got some kind of judgement, but I can't remember how much only it was about half the value. I don't think they ever payed any of the judgement.


Since then, I haven't been too excited about plastics recycling. It's bulky and too hard to get a load into a container. The buyers are very picky about mixed plastics or any foreign material. Lastly, but importantly, I didn't get paid the last time around. If you have a lot of time, a ready supply, and good storage, it could work. Be careful your time and money costs don't exceed your profits.