Modern food packaging recycling requires tailored solutions to handle contaminated takeout containers, disposable tableware, and multi-material food service products. These integrated crushing and washing lines transform used food containers into clean plastic flakes suitable for manufacturing new products.
System Components and Process Flow
1. Pre-Sorting Stage
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Manual removal of non-plastic items
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Metal detection with automatic ejection
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Bale breaking for compressed materials
2. Primary Shredding
Parameter | Specification |
---|---|
Shredder Type | Low-speed, high-torque |
Blade Material | D2 tool steel |
Output Size | 30-50mm pieces |
3. Hot Wash System
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Temperature: 70-85°C
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Detergent formula for food residue
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Soaking time: 15-25 minutes
4. Friction Washing
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Dual-shaft design (40-60 RPM)
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Ceramic-lined chamber
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Water flow: 5-8 m³/hour
Technical Specifications
Capacity Options
Throughput | Power | Water | Footprint |
---|---|---|---|
300 kg/hr | 35 kW | 4 m³/hr | 10×5 m |
600 kg/hr | 55 kW | 7 m³/hr | 14×6 m |
1 ton/hr | 85 kW | 10 m³/hr | 18×7 m |
Material-Specific Features
PP Container Processing
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Oil separation technology
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Low-temperature drying
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Antioxidant preservation
PS Food Service Items
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Gentle crushing to prevent dust
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Anti-static washing
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Quick-drying systems
Contaminant Removal
Food Residue Elimination
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Mechanical scrubbing
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Enzymatic pretreatment
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High-pressure rinsing
Label/Adhesive Removal
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Hot alkaline solution
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Friction washing
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Final polishing
Quality Control
Output Standards
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Food residue: <50 ppm
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Moisture content: <0.5%
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Purity level: >98%
Certification Compliance
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FDA food contact standards
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EU 10/2011 regulation
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GB 4806.7 (China)
Environmental Benefits
Resource Recovery
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1 ton recycled containers saves:
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3.8 barrels of oil
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5.2 MWh energy
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Emission Reduction
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1.2 tons CO₂ avoided per ton processed
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85% water recycling rate
Operational Economics
Cost Structure
Capacity | Investment | Operating Cost |
---|---|---|
300 kg/hr | $85,000-120,000 | $28-35/ton |
600 kg/hr | $130,000-180,000 | $22-28/ton |
1 ton/hr | $200,000-280,000 | $18-24/ton |
Technical Innovations
Advanced Solutions
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AI Sorting
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Food residue detection
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Automatic quality grading
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Enzyme Cleaning
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Protein-digesting agents
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Low-temperature operation
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Water Recovery
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Membrane filtration
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UV sterilization
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Industry Applications
Food Service Recycling
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Takeout container recovery
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Disposable cutlery processing
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Coffee cup lid recycling
Packaging Manufacturing
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Food-grade flake production
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Closed-loop container systems
Food container recycling systems represent specialized technology for handling post-consumer food service waste. These integrated lines overcome unique challenges through tailored washing processes, gentle material handling, and advanced contamination removal. As food service sustainability initiatives expand globally, these recycling solutions enable circular material flows while meeting strict food safety standards.
Comments(12)
This recycling tech is seriously impressive! Finally a real solution for all those takeout containers piling up.
Would love to see cost breakdowns for smaller restaurants. The initial investment seems steep.
The water recycling rate at 85% is actually better than I expected. 👍
Does this system handle compostable containers too? Or just traditional plastics?
Finally someone addressing the food residue problem properly! Those pizza boxes are the worst.
The AI sorting part sounds cool but honestly seems unnecessary. Just hire more sorters?
1.2 tons CO₂ avoided per ton processed… those numbers add up fast! More cities need this.
Lol imagine being the worker who has to manually remove the non-plastic items… that’s a tough job
How often do those ceramic-lined chambers need replacing? Maintenance costs could be killer.
As a packaging manufacturer, we’ve been waiting for tech like this! Food-grade flakes are game-changing.
The enzyme cleaning part is genius – using biology to solve a biology problem. Nature always has the best solutions.
Why isn’t this mandatory yet? Should be law for all food service businesses over certain size.