Plastic bubble wrap, a plastic film of many small air-filled bubbles, is often used as a packaging material because of its good cushioning properties. What do we do with them while facilitating our daily lives? Is plastic bubble wrap recyclable?

plastic bubble wrap
plastic bubble wrap
Contents hide
1 Why We Recycle Bubble Packaging?
2 Is Plastic Bubble Wrap Recyclable? Yes, It Can Be Recycled
3 How Can We Recycle Bubble Wrap?
4 Efficient’s best solution for recycling bubble sheets
5 Summary

Why We Recycle Bubble Packaging?

  • Non-biodegradable: Discarding large quantities of waste bubble wrap will cause environmental pollution and release harmful substances.
  • Saving Resources: using recycled bubble wrap to produce new plastic products can reduce energy consumption, such as petroleum.
  • Creating Economic Value: Recycling and reusing plastic bubble packaging realize the circular usage of resources and create economic value, obtaining profits.

Is Plastic Bubble Wrap Recyclable? Yes, It Can Be Recycled

The plastic bubble wrap is made from low-density LDPE, a flexible plastic film material. It can be recycled as well as other packaging plastics.

However, the process of recycling faces many challenges. On the one hand, air cushion film is commonly mixed with impurities such as oil labels, glue, etc, which may influence the purities of recycled plastic. On the other hand, care needs to be taken to avoid film entanglement in the recycling machinery during the recycling process.

is plastic bubble wrap recyclable
is plastic bubble wrap recyclable

How Can We Recycle Bubble Wrap?

Plastic bubble packaging recycling is a process that converts large pieces of film into uniform granules for reusing, involving shredding, washing, pelletizing, and drying.

  • Shredding: Using a plastic shredder crush large easy-to-twist pieces into smaller fragments for subsequent recycling process.
  • Washing: Rinsing washing tanks are specially designed to remove impurities attached to the bubble wrap film surface.
  • Pelletizing: The pelletizing process involves melting, extruding, cooling, and cutting. Being heated into a melted state, plastics are then extruded into long strips across the cooling tank to shape. Finally, a plastic pellet-making machine cuts plastic strips into uniform granules.
  • Drying: These high-quality granules readied for reuse need to be dewatered by a dryer machine. There are two types of dryers: vertical and horizontal.
plastic shredder
plastic shredder
bubble wrap washing tank
bubble wrap washing tank
pelletizing machine for bubble wrap
pelletizing machine for bubble wrap

Efficient’s best solution for recycling bubble sheets

As a professional plastic recycling machinery supplier, Efficient can assist you in solving any problems with recycling. We provide the entire production line and layout design. If you’d like to begin or improve your business, we’ll offer the most sincere advice. Besides, we promise:

  • Customized services based on your production needs
  • Regular feedback on completion progress and test run videos
  • A one-year warranty and on-site installation if needed
  • Operation guides in detail

Here are some examples of our plastic film recycling machines, which you can read to learn more about our company.

Efficient solution for bubble wrap recycling
Efficient solution for bubble wrap recycling

Summary

Is plastic bubble wrap recyclable? By reading this article you should know that they can be recycled. Recycling bubble wrap is not only financially rewarding but also protects the environment. Let’s work together to create a better, greener home. If you have any questions about recycling, please feel free to consult us!