Operator looks to expand e-plastic sorting system

By Colin Staub of Resource Recycling

Owl Electronic Recycling operates a wash line handling e-plastics at its Pennsylvania facility. | Courtesy of Owl Electronic Recycling

Pennsylvania company Owl Electronic Recycling installed e-plastics sortation equipment in response to China’s scrap plastic import ban. That’s proved beneficial for the latest market disruption restricting the scrap plastic trade.

Longtime electronic scrap processor Owl Electronic Recycling installed e-plastics processing capacity in 2018 and has been processing the materials since then.

In recent weeks, as the Basel Convention amendment has taken effect and further disrupted the global market for low-grade plastics, including materials recovered from electronics, the company has received additional inquiries about its e-plastics capacity.

“We’ve gotten many phone calls from local recyclers in the area,” company founder Jason Wen said in an interview. “Everybody’s been struggling to export e-plastic.”

Because of the current export market disruption, Owl is considering further expansion with additional facilities, Wen said. The company is particularly interested in forming a joint-venture with a large partner, such as an OEM, he said.