Hidden Costs in Recycling: How Wet Rejects Cause Profits to Leak Away with Wastewater
In plastic film recycling plants, washing line performance is usually measured by wash efficiency and pellet quality.Yet field data from European installations shows a growing technical blind spot:
Washing line rejects typically 5~15% of total input, are often leaving the system with over 50% moisture.
From a process and cost perspective, this has serious implications.
Why This Matters Technically
• Wet rejects significantly increase mass flow to disposal
• Poor bulk density leads to inefficient container utilization
• With waste incineration entering the EU ETS in 2026, moisture directly translates into higher carbon-related gate fees
In short, recyclers are transporting and incinerating water- at rising energy and carbon cost.
The Engineering Question
Our on-site projects show that mechanical dewatering (Squeeze Dryer) can reduce reject moisture to below 1~3%, while simultaneously densifying the material and lowering logistics demand.
However, moisture removal is only part of the system-level solution.
How reject dewatering integrates with water filtration and washing loop design is where most plants either gain-or lose in long-term efficiency.
Don't let your profits leak away with your wastewater
If wet rejects are still leaving your washing line, hidden costs are leaving with them.
Explore our Field-Proven Success Stories to see real-world examples or contact Genius Machinery today for a customized analysis based on your material type.
