The Circular Industry Cloud - inacsys.com - has active listings in Multi-Layer Plastics (MLP) grades from Buffalo, New York. This is a deep dive into what MLP bales are, why they are difficult to recycle, who buys them globally, and why the Circular Industry Cloud is the right place to list them.
WHAT IS MULTI-LAYER PLASTICS (MLP)?
Multi-Layer Plastics (MLP) is the term used for flexible packaging structures that combine multiple polymer layers bonded together to deliver functional performance properties that no single polymer can provide alone. MLP is the dominant packaging structure for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods applications globally.
A typical MLP flexible packaging structure might combine: LDPE (heat seal and moisture barrier) | LLDPE (mechanical strength and toughness) | PP (stiffness and heat resistance) | PA - Nylon (oxygen and aroma barrier) | PET (stiffness, heat resistance, print surface) | EVOH (extreme oxygen barrier for food preservation) | Aluminium foil or metallized layers (complete oxygen and light barrier).
The combination of layers gives each packaging structure its specific performance - a potato chip bag, a retort pouch, a stand-up food pouch, a pharmaceutical blister backing film - each is a different MLP structure designed for a specific application.
WHAT IS PET+PE+PP MLP?
PET+PE+PP MLP Bales contain MLP flexible packaging where the predominant polymer combination includes Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene (PE - LDPE or LLDPE), and Polypropylene (PP).
This combination is typical of: food pouches and stand-up pouches where PET provides the print surface and stiffness, LLDPE provides the heat-seal layer, and PP provides additional structural integrity.
Retort and boil-in-bag structures where PET and PP provide heat resistance.
Packaging for snacks, sauces, dairy, and beverage products.
PET+PE+PP MLP is one of the most commonly encountered MLP compositions in post-consumer flexible packaging waste.
WHAT IS BALED LDPE WITH 10% PAPER?
Baled LDPE 10% Paper contains primarily Low Density Polyethylene flexible film - shopping bags, agricultural film, industrial stretch wrap, food packaging film - with up to 10% paper contamination by weight.
The 10% paper content specification tells buyers the contamination level of the LDPE fraction. Paper contamination in LDPE bales originates from paper labels adhered to plastic bags and films, paper inserts or documents mixed into the LDPE stream, and paper-backed adhesive materials.
LDPE with 10% paper is a lower grade than clean LDPE film but is widely traded globally, particularly for reprocessing into recycled LDPE film and moulded articles where some contamination is acceptable.
WHAT IS LDPE 10% PET MLP?
LDPE 10% PET MLP Bales contain primarily LDPE flexible film with up to 10% PET-containing MLP structures mixed in. PET contamination arises from PET-laminated flexible packaging (PET/PE pouches) included in an otherwise predominantly LDPE stream.
This is a common composition arising from mixed flexible packaging collection streams where separation of pure LDPE from PET-containing MLP structures is not complete.
WHO BUYS MLP BALES GLOBALLY?
MLP bales are a challenging recycling feedstock because the bonded multi-layer polymer structure cannot be easily separated into individual polymer fractions using conventional mechanical recycling. As a result, MLP has historically been directed to:
Energy recovery: MLP has a high calorific value due to its predominantly polyolefin composition. Cement kilns, waste-to-energy facilities, and industrial co-firing operations use MLP as a fuel substitute (Refused Derived Fuel - RDF or Solid Recovered Fuel - SRF).
Chemical recycling: Pyrolysis operations convert mixed MLP into pyrolysis oil (a diesel substitute), syngas, and solid char. Chemical recyclers in India, Southeast Asia, and Europe are increasingly purchasing MLP bales as feedstock.
Co-processing: Cement kilns in India and Southeast Asia co-process MLP bales as a fuel substitute in clinker production, recovering both the energy value and the inorganic content.
Compounders and downcyclers: In some markets, MLP is processed through high-speed friction washing and extrusion to produce recycled compound pellets for injection-moulded articles where colour, aesthetics, and mechanical properties are less critical.
WHAT IS PET FILM FOIL RESIDUE BALES?
PET Film Foil Residue Bales contain polyester film - biaxially-oriented PET (BOPET) - that includes aluminium metallized or foil laminated layers. This material arises from:
Post-industrial converting waste from flexible packaging production - edge trim, cores, and off-cuts from metallized PET film converting operations.
Post-consumer metallized flexible packaging - crisp packets, chocolate wrappers, and snack food packaging that uses metallized PET as the barrier layer.
PET Film Foil Residue is a higher-value MLP fraction compared to mixed MLP bales because it contains a significant PET content. Buyers include PET film recyclers who recover PET value from the foil-residue fraction, aluminium processors who recover aluminium from the metallized layer, and pyrolysis operators who use the high-energy mixed structure.
LISTING MLP ON THE CIRCULAR INDUSTRY CLOUD
The Circular Industry Cloud at inacsys.com has active MLP listings from Buffalo, New York:
PET+PE+PP MLP Bales - 100 MT - Buffalo, NY
Baled LDPE 10% Paper - 100 MT - Buffalo, NY
LDPE 10% PET MLP Bales - 100 MT - Buffalo, NY
PET Film Foil Residue Bales - 250 MT - New York
Kiwi AI grade intelligence identifies and classifies MLP and coextruded plastics grades accurately within the Circular Industry Cloud taxonomy. If you have MLP bales, mixed polyolefin film, coextruded film, or any plastics material to move, list at inacsys.com.
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