The color of plastic plays a big role in industrial plastic recycling. When different colors are mixed together, it can result in unreliable or unattractive shades like brown, gray, or black. That’s why black plastic is often a sign that it contains recycled materials. Adding black pigment to different colored plastic batches is easier and cheaper than sorting them by color. Recycling plastic in this way allows for cost-effective reuse, such as creating black plastic pallets. In this article, we’ll explore why black plastic pallets are an eco-friendly choice for logistics, highlighting their benefits for both businesses and the environment.
Comparing recycled and primary plastic pallets
Creating colored plastic pallets from recycled materials is more challenging than making black ones. Light-colored plastic pallets are typically made from virgin plastic directly sourced from petroleum manufacturers. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using virgin plastic, there aren’t many additional benefits to manufacturing plastic pallets exclusively from it.
For instance, plastic pallets made from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are just as hygienic as those made from virgin HDPE. Both have similar resistance to moisture and easy-to-clean surfaces. HDPE plastic doesn’t have the chemical leaching concerns associated with some other plastics like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Recycled and virgin HDPE plastic pallets are equally safe for transporting food products, including meat and dairy.
Essentially, there aren’t any significant advantages to using new plastic pallets, except for color. Maintaining specific colors requires either highly selective and expensive secondary sorting processes for colored plastics or relying solely on virgin materials. This means colored pallets made from virgin plastic miss out on one of the greatest advantages of plastic pallets: the ability to be made from recycled materials right from the start.
Why black plastic pallets are truly environmentally friendly
Choosing to make plastic pallets black instead of other colors means they can easily incorporate recycled plastic items like used laundry bottles, soda bottles, and other consumer packaging made from HDPE. This benefits the environment in two ways. Recycled plastic requires less energy during production and emits fewer greenhouse gases compared to extracting oil and manufacturing virgin plastic.
Using recycled content also helps isolate used plastic packaging from the environment and keeps it out of harm’s way. And, of course, black plastic pallets can be recycled when their life comes to an end, and again to create new pallets, providing a real opportunity for secondary recycling.
Conclusion
Black plastic pallets are an environmentally friendly choice for businesses in logistics. By utilizing recycled materials and promoting circularity, black plastic pallets reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and plastic waste. They offer a sustainable solution while maintaining the strength and functionality required for efficient supply chains. So, let’s embrace the use of black plastic pallets and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future for all.