The APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability is the most comprehensive resource outlining the plastics

recycling industry’s recommendations in the marketplace today. The content is regularly updated to ensure
APR’s Recyclability Categories represent today’s North American plastics recycling infrastructure. Although it is
designed as an online resource, with links to all relevant information, a PDF of the complete document can be
downloaded as well.

The APR Design® Guide specifically addresses plastic packaging, but the principles can be applied to all
potentially recycled plastic items.

APR encourages package designers to utilize The APR Critical Guidance and Responsible Innovation programs, as
well as the APR Design® Guide to create the most recyclable packaging. Assistance is available through APR or
one of the APR member, independent laboratories found in the member directory.

The intended audience for the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability is the package design engineer for
use in designing packaging that complies with the capabilities of the recycling infrastructure. Before accessing
the APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability the user should thoroughly understand the fundamentals of its
concept as described in the scope, definition of recyclability and recyclability categories outlined below.

SCOPE
This guide covers plastic items entering the postconsumer collection and recycling systems most widely used in
industry today. Collection methods include single stream and dual stream MRF’s, deposit container systems,
mixed waste facilities, and grocery store rigid plastic and film collection systems. The impact of package design
on automated sortation process steps employed in a single stream MRF, as well as high volume recycling
processes is of primary consideration.

Items recovered in recovery systems where they are source-selected and sent to a recycler specializing in this
particular item are specifically excluded from this guide.

APR’s DEFINITION OF RECYCLABLE

An item is “recyclable per APR definition” when the following three conditions are met:
• At least 60% of consumers or communities have access to a collection system that accepts the item.
• The item is most likely sorted correctly into a market-ready bale of a particular plastic meeting industry
standard specifications, through commonly used material recovery systems, including single-stream and
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 dual stream MRFs, PRF’s, systems that handle deposit system containers, grocery store rigid plastic and
film collection systems.
• The item can be further processed through a typical recycling process cost effectively into a
postconsumer plastic feedstock suitable for use in identifiable new products.

APR’s RECYCLABILITY CATEGORIES

The APR Design® Guide is itemized by design features commonly used with packaging applications. The recycling
impact of each design feature is discussed within the Guide. The APR’s guidance on the design feature is
developed considering this impact and broken down into four categories which should be thoroughly
understood:

• APR DESIGN GUIDE® PREFERRED: Features readily accepted by MRFs and recyclers since the majority of
the industry has the capability to identify, sort, and process a package exhibiting this feature with
minimal, or no, negative effect on the productivity of the operation or final product quality. Packages
with these features are likely to pass through the recycling process into the most appropriate material
stream with the potential of producing high quality material.
• DETRIMENTAL TO RECYCLING: Features that present known technical challenges for the MRF or
recycler’s yield, productivity, or final product quality but are grudgingly tolerated and accepted by the
majority of MRFs and recyclers.
• RENDERS PACKAGE NON-RECYCLABLE PER APR DEFINITION: Features with a significant adverse
technical impact on the MRF or recycler’s yield, productivity or final product quality. The majority of
MRFs or recyclers cannot remove these features to the degree required to generate a marketable end
product.
• REQUIRES TESTING: In order to determine compatibility with recycling, testing per an APR testing
protocol is required.

DISCLAIMER

This document has been prepared by the Association of Plastic Recyclers as a service to the plastic
industry to promote the most efficient use of the nation’s plastic recycling infrastructure and to
enhance the quality and quantity of recycled postconsumer plastic. The information in this document is
offered without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, which are expressly disclaimed. APR and
its members accept no responsibility for any harm or damages arising from the use of or reliance upon
this information by any party. Participation in the Recognition Program is purely voluntary and does not
guarantee compliance with any U.S. law or regulation or that a package or plastic article incorporating
the innovation is recyclable or will be recycled.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate, Resin Identification Code #1)

Due to its clarity and natural CO2 barrier properties, PET is one of the most widely used packaging resins. It is
easily blown into a bottle or formed into a sheet, thereby becoming the resin of choice for many applications.
PET does not normally have the desired properties for closures, handles, attachments or labels so other
polymers are commonly used for these items and affixed to the PET package. PET properties can be enhanced
with colorants, UV blockers, oxygen barriers/scavengers and other additives. Each modification and addition to
the base, clear PET in a package must be considered for its effect on the recycling stream. Items should either
be economically removed from the PET in the typical recycling process or be compatible with RPET in future
uses. The density of PET is 1.38 and so it sinks in water. Closures, labels and attachments should be made from
materials with a density less than 1.0 that will float in water and therefore be readily separated from the PET.

The APR’s Recognition Program encourages consumer product, plastic package and bottle component
manufacturers to work with the APR protocols to determine whether new modifications to a regularly recycled
plastic package will negatively impact the recycling process prior to introducing the modification.

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BASE POLYMER
PET and PET variants resins which have a crystalline melting point between 225 and 255C are preferred.
Materials of a lower melt point or non-crystalline materials often become sticky in the reclaimers’ pre-extrusion
dryer when the dryer is operated at PET temperatures and prevent the material from flowing through the
process. Materials of a higher melt point remain solid in the reclaimers’ extruder and cause blockages in melt
screens. Both conditions greatly hinder the ability of the reclaimer to operate.

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Blends of PET and other resins require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. Other
resins may be blended into the PET to enhance certain properties during the package’s intended first use. The
materials’ effect on the RPET in future uses must be evaluated since it will not be removed in the recycling
system.

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Resins and Molded Articles

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

Non-PET layers and coatings require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The use of non-PET layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PET if not implemented according to
APR test protocols. Layers and coatings must either separate and be removed from the PET in the recycling
process or have no adverse effects on the RPET in future uses. When used, their content should be minimized
to the greatest extent possible to maximize PET yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation
costs. Some layers and coatings have been found compatible with PET or are easily separated in conventional
recycling systems.

Screening Test: PET Heat History and Discoloration Evaluation

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Resins and Molded Articles

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled PET is intended to be used in new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled PET. Additives designed to
degrade the polymer diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the recycling
process, these additives shorten the useful life of the product made from the RPET as well, possibly
compromising quality and durability.
Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the RPET that includes the additive. These
additives must either separate and be removed from the PET in the recycling process or have no adverse effects
on the RPET in future uses. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to
maximize PET yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

Screening Test: PET Degradable Additives Test

Additives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Additives such as de-nesting, anti-static, anti-blocking, anti-fogging,
anti-slip, UV barrier, stabilizer and heat receptor agents and lubricants should be tested to determine their
compatibility with recycling. Of particular concern are additives which cause the RPET to discolor or haze after
remelting or solid stating since RPET with poor haze or discoloration is greatly devalued and has limited markets.
This is particularly troublesome since it is difficult to identify material with this effect until extremely late in the
recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been imparted into the material.
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 Screening Test: PET Heat History and Discoloration Evaluation
Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Resins and Molded Articles

Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.

Like many other additives, optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an
unacceptable fluorescence for next uses of RPET containing the brighteners. It is difficult to identify material
with this negative effect until extremely late in the recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been
imparted into a material of low value due to the additive.

COLOR
Clear unpigmented PET is preferred
Clear material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use applications.
It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

Transparent light blue packaging is preferred

Light blue material is most often included with the clear material stream to act as a bluing agent and offset some
yellowing. This not only adds volume to the high value clear stream, it improves its quality when used in limited
amounts. Normally it can also be added to the green stream with little negative effect.

Transparent green packaging is preferred

Green material has significant volume in the marketplace. At the MRF, it is baled along with the clear PET and
may comprise up to 30% of the PET bale. The green material is separated from the clear by the original
reclaimer, who may process it into a value added product, or send it to a reclaimer dedicated to green material.
Its value is second only to clear material. However, green is not without its issues. Because a consistent, clear
color is critical to future products using clear RPET, the recycling process includes a great deal of machinery and
manpower dedicated to separating colored material. This adds significant cost to the operation. Even so, small
but significant amounts of colored material, including transparent green, pass into the clear stream, thereby
affecting the quality of clear RPET. Markets such as clothing, carpet, soft drink bottles and thermoformed sheet
depend on very precise colors, using clear material as a basis.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs and reclaimers is not capable of identifying many dark
polymers because the colorant absorbs light. Some dark shades may be detected by NIR but these must be
tested to determine their sortability. Manual sorting generally cannot distinguish one dark polymer from
another either. Other separation techniques such as float-sink cannot be employed since many black polymers
sink with PET. Therefore, black and dark packaging is considered a contaminant for nearly all PET reclaimers.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

All other colors and additives creating visual effects in PET are detrimental to recycling
These colored bottles are categorized as detrimental because of their impact on bale yield loss and productivity
when reclaiming clear PET containers.

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Most communities with curbside collection allow for collection of colored PET bottles and these are often
included in bales of clear PET bottles. PET reclaimers can use color auto-sorters to remove the colored bottles
from the clear stream. However, reclaimers regularly report that there is low market demand and low value for
mixed color PET containers.

Reclaimers report that transparent colors can be used in applications such as bulk fiber and black sheet and are
more likely to find a market application than opaque colors. Today, most reclaimers report that opaque bottles
do not often find an economically viable market and so can become a waste stream.

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream, causing
contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling stream.
It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film or they
are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and over-running
provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use clean screens
operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR anticipates and
encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but currently these items
are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sze Sorting Potential for Articles with at least 2 Dimensions Less than 2
inches

Items greater than two gallons in volume are detrimental to recycling.

Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
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polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polypropylene and polyethylene closures and components that float in water are preferred.
Since these polymers float in water, they are most easily separated from PET flake in conventional separation
systems. Additionally, the PET recycling process captures floatable polyethylene and polypropylene to create an
ancillary stream of marketable material. Care must be taken when modifying the polyethylene or polypropylene,
with mineral fillers for example, to ensure the modifier does not increase the overall density to the point it sinks.

Silicone, polystyrene, thermoset plastics, nylon and acetal are examples of plastics that are expected to sink in
the float-sink tank with PET and be detrimental to PET recycling. Sinking plastics are difficult to remove from
PET, thereby causing contamination in the final product. Reclaimers may remove packages known to employ
these sinking plastics manually to reduce contamination levels if they are commonly found in the recycle stream.

Benchmark Test: Benchmark Evaluation for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

PE, EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.

PE, EVA and TPE float in water and will be separated in the recycling process with the floatable polyethylene and
polypropylene closures. Since PET reclaimers can recover PE, EVA and TPE in the float stream, they are preferred
liner materials.

Dispensers, closures or lidding with metal components require testing to determine the appropriate
recyclability category
Metal contamination is highly undesirable in recycled PET so the use of metal components with PET packaging is
discouraged; metals create wear in process machinery, increase operation costs and yield loss, and are a primary
source of defects in products made with recycled PET.

MRFs and PET reclaimers use magnets, eddy current separators and metal detectors to keep packages with
metal components out of the process stream. Any metal components that trigger these devices will cause the
entire plastic product to be removed from the stream and render the package non-recyclable.

When metal components are not detected and removed by process equipment, the package generally passes
into the granulator and the metal components are considered detrimental to PET recycling. In cases where a
package with a metal component passes through metal detection, some PET reclaimers remove these manually
from the stream to reduce the impact of metals contamination; packages removed manually become waste.
Aluminum components are particularly difficult to remove effectively due to the limitations of eddy current
separators and flake sorters in detecting smaller non-ferrous components or granulated pieces.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal; Metalized or
Metallic Printed Components.

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The use of PVC closures, closure liners, renders the package non-recyclable per APR.
(See “Attachments” tab for information about tamper-evident and safety seals.)
PVC sinks and is extremely hard for the recycler to remove, particularly in small pieces. The recycled PET stream
is very intolerable to even minute amounts of PVC.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Label selection should be considered carefully to find the solution most compatible with the recycling process
that also provides the necessary performance characteristics. There are many label designs available and each
of these designs performs differently in the various recycling processes. As a minimum, labels should use
adhesives that release from the bottle and be designed so NIR sorting machinery can identify the bottle polymer
with the label attached. Label systems, adhesives and inks designed to perform in specific portions of the
recycling process are all beneficial. Removing adhesives is a significant component to the cost of recycling so the
packages using the lowest quantity of appropriate adhesive are the most compatible. An overview of labels and
their compatibility with specific portions of the recycling process can be found at:
http://plasticsrecycling.org/images/pdf/design-guide/APR_Design_Guidance_Label_Summary_Table.pdf

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels with a specific gravity less than 1.0 are preferred.
These materials float in water so they are separated from the PET in the float-sink tank with the closures. Since
they are the same general polymer as most of the closures they do not contaminate or devalue this stream.
Care should be taken to ensure that any modifiers to the label material do not increase its density above 1.0.

Laminated labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process
because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over
of delaminated labels into the RPET can result in contamination.

Definitive Test: New Delamination Test *Coming Soon

Full bottle sleeve labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Full bottle sleeve labels cover a large amount of the bottle surface with a polymer that is not the same as the
bottle body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering recycling may cause a false reading on
an automatic sorter and direct a PET bottle to another material stream where it is lost to the process.
Furthermore, some sleeve label materials cannot be removed in the recycling process and contaminate the RPET
produced. Sleeve labels that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should be selected.

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Pressure sensitive labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Pressure sensitive labels generally require complete adhesive coverage which is greater than other typical label
methods. This raises the importance of the compatibility of the type of adhesive with the recycling process.
Adhesives resistant to washing in the recycling process allow labels to remain on the PET and become
contaminants in the final product. Adhesives that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should
be selected.

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 Screening Test: Benchmark Test for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures
Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocols for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Polystyrene labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. While PS labels are
tolerated by some PET reclaimers, PS has been identified as causing serious processing and end-use problems by
others and should only be used if it can be easily and completely removed from the PET in conventional
separation systems. PS inherently sinks in water due to its density so it travels with the PET in the recyclers’
float-sink systems. However, expanded PS may float and in this case, it may be less of a problem to the recycler.

Screening Test: PET Packaging Component Sink or Float Evaluation

Label structures that sink in water because of the choice of substrate, ink, decoration, coatings, and top layer
require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The reclaimers rely on float-sink systems to separate non-PET materials. Label components that sink with the
PET end up in the RPET stream as contaminants.

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling (for pressure sensitive paper labels reference the pressure sensitive
label category. The PET reclamation process involves a hot caustic wash that removes glue and other label
components to the levels required to render the RPET usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions,
becomes pulp which is very difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and
water treatment systems. Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some
travel with the PET. Paper fibers remaining in the RPET carbonize when the material is heated and remelted,
causing unacceptable quality degradation. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the caustic wash process sink in
the float-sink tank, thereby causing RPET contamination.

Metal foil, metalized and metallic printed labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category. Sorting equipment in the recycling process is designed to detect and eliminate metal
from PET. Even very thin metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the
entire bottle to be rejected as waste, thereby creating yield loss. If not detected, they pass through the process
with the PET and cause contamination issues in the RPET.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

PVC and PLA labels render the package unrecyclable per APR.
Both materials are extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to their similarity in density to PET.
Both cause severe quality degradation in the final recycled PET stream even in very small amounts.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Adhesives that wash off cleanly from PET and remain adhered to the label are preferred. Label adhesive that is
not removed from PET, or which re-deposits on the PET during the wash step is a source of contamination and
discoloration when PET is recycled.
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The recycling process is designed to remove reasonably expected contamination from the surface of the PET to a
degree necessary to render the RPET economically reusable in further applications. In practice, some adhesives
are resistant to this process so are detrimental to recycling. In extreme cases, an adhesive and label cannot be
separated from the PET and may render a package not recyclable.

Screening Tests: Benchmark Test for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures
Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the PET in contact with them and significantly
diminishing its value for recycling. The APR and NAPCOR have developed a testing protocol to assist label
manufacturers in evaluating whether a label ink will bleed in conventional PET reclaiming systems. Label inks
must be chosen that do not bleed color when tested under this protocol.

Screening Tests: Benchmark Test for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures
*See the definitive test for the appropriate label type

Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system. Historically, inks used in direct printing tend to bleed or otherwise discolor the PET during the recycling
process or introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the RPET is diminished. Some inks
used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to determine its effect.

Screening Tests: Benchmark Test for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures
Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

ATTACHMENTS
Clear PET attachments are preferred.
Attachments made of the base polymer are recovered and recycled with the base polymer without causing
contamination or yield loss, thereby generating the highest value.

Tamper evident sleeves and safety seals require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. If tamper resistance is required in specific product applications, it should be an integral design feature
of the bottle. The use of tamper-resistant or tamper-evident sleeves or seals is discouraged as they can act as
contaminants if they do not completely detach from the bottle or are not easily removed in conventional
separation systems. If sleeves or safety seals are used, they should be designed to completely detach from the

bottle, leaving no remains on the bottle. The material used should float and separate from the PET in the float-
sink system.

Screening Test: PET Packaging Component Sink or Float Evaluation

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

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Non-PET attachments such as handles require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
These should not be adhesively bonded to the package and should readily separate from the package when
ground. They should be made from materials that float in water such as PP or HDPE. If adhesives are used to
affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria within this document.

Screening Test: PET Packaging Component Sink or Float Evaluation

Definitive Test: Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures

Metal, metalized and metal containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category.
Examples include metal foils and metalized substrates that sink in water as well as metal sprayer balls and
springs. In the recycling process these items are either identified and removed along with their PET component
in the early stages, thereby causing yield loss, or they pass into the recycling process causing a contamination
issue. Since they are heavier than water they sink with the PET in the float-sink tank. Many of these items are
too small to be removed with machinery designed to remove metal such as eddy current and optical separators.
Springs in particular unravel and become entangled in filtering screens throughout the recycling process.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Paper attachments are detrimental to recycling.

The PET reclamation process uses a hot caustic wash to remove glue and other contaminants to the levels
required to render the RPET usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is very
difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems.
Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the PET. Paper
fibers remaining in the RPET carbonize when the material is reused causing unacceptable quality degradation.

Welded attachments are detrimental to recycling.

A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the PET in the recycling process. These
attachments, even when ground and made of floatable materials, cause RPET contamination and yield loss
issues in both cases: when the PET they are attached to causes the ground section containing both polymers to
sink, or when the ground section floats.

RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
Unless they are compatible with PET recycling and are demonstrated not to create any disposal issues based on
their material content, the use of RFID’s is discouraged as it limits PET yield, introduces potential contamination,
and increases separation costs.

PVC and PLA attachments of any kind render the package non-recyclable per APR definition. The use of PVC
or PLA attachments of any kind on PET packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously avoided. This
includes thermoforms of PVC and/or PLA that may be visually confused with PET thermoforms. Very small
amounts of PVC or PLA can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PET useless for most recycling
applications. In addition, PVC and PLA are very difficult to separate from PET in conventional water-based
density separation systems due to similar densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in these
systems.
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BIO-BASED PET RESIN
The use of bio-based PET resin, in which the MEG component is sourced from biological materials such as sugar
cane residue or similar materials, are fully compatible with petroleum-based PET in the recycling process. Bio-
based PET should not be confused with PET containing bio- or oxo-degradable additives.

POSTCONSUMER CONTENT
The use of postconsumer PET in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and
economically feasible.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM
D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE, Resin Identification Code #2)

Due to its toughness, natural UV barrier properties and chemical resistance HDPE is one of the most widely used
packaging resins. It is easily injection molded or blow molded into a bottle, pail, tub or closure. In its natural
state, HDPE appears a milky white color. This is due to light reflection on the polymer structure rather than a
colorant.

HDPE properties are commonly enhanced with colorants, additives and fillers, or it is placed alongside other
polymers in a multi-layer package. Each modification and addition to the natural HDPE in a package must be
considered for its effect on the recycling stream. Non-HDPE packaging features should either be economically
removed from the HDPE in the typical recycling process or be compatible with HDPE in future uses. Of particular
concern are mineral fillers or additives that cause the overall blend to sink in water. The density of HDPE is .94-
.96 so it floats in water. Density is an important property as reclaimers typically rely on float-sink tanks to
separate polymers and to remove contaminants.

Per the scope outlined in the Design Guide introduction, the following guidance is focused on postconsumer
packaging items that are typically picked up in single stream curb side collection systems. Further the guidance
considers the impact on sortation at a modern automated MRF or PRF, as well as the compatibility of a HDPE
packaging item in common HDPE reclaiming processes. This guidance will also be applicable to other
postconsumer household items such as toys.

HDPE is used in a wide number of industrial applications and postindustrial HDPE is an important source of HDPE
that is collected and recycled. The APR Design® Guide can be a reference when designing industrial applications
with HDPE, but not all guidance may be applicable when recyclability of such commercially used items is being
considered.

The APR's Recognition Program encourages consumer product, plastic package and bottle component
manufacturers to utilize the APR Test Protocols to determine whether new modifications to a regularly recycled
plastic package will negatively impact the recycling process prior to introducing the modification.

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BASE POLYMER
Postconsumer polyolefin content is preferred.
The use of postconsumer HDPE in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and
economically feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

The use of non-HDPE layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of HDPE if not implemented according
to APR test protocols. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to
maximize HDPE yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

EVOH layers are preferred.

EVOH is a common layer material used to increase the barrier properties of HDPE. It is not separable in the
recycling process and therefore will become part of the recycled HDPE. Although EVOH blended with HDPE is
not without issue (it may cause splay when extruded or molded and contribute to die lip build up) it is generally
accepted. EVOH has performed successfully in previous critical guidance tests. Some recycled HDPE users have
experienced molding problems at values approaching 3%. Its use should be minimized to maintain the best
performance of recycled HDPE for future uses.

Non-HDPE layers and coatings other than EVOH require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Testing must show that layers and coatings will either separate and be removed from the HDPE in the
recycling process or have no adverse effects on the recycled HDPE in future uses. When used, their content
should be minimized to the greatest extent possible. Some layers and coatings have been found compatible with
HDPE or are easily separated in conventional recycling systems.

Test Protocol: HDPE Benchmark Test *This test is currently being developed.

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled HDPE is intended to be reused into new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled HDPE. Additives designed to
degrade the polymer by definition diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the
recycling process, these additives also shorten the useful life of the product made from the recycled HDPE,
possibly compromising quality and durability.

Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the recycled HDPE that includes the
additive. Testing must show that these additives will either separate and be removed from the HDPE in the
recycling process or have no adverse effects on the recycled HDPE in future uses. When used, their content
should be minimized to the greatest extent possible.

Screening Test: HDPE/PP Degradable Additives Test

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Workhorse additives historically used without issue are preferred.
Most HDPE in a package contains some form of additives. The “workhorse” additives commonly used have not
been shown to cause significant issues with the recycling process or further uses of the recycled HDPE.
Commonly acceptable workhorse additives include:
o Thermal stabilizers - These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling.
o UV stabilizers – These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling
o Nucleating agents
o Antistatic agents
o Lubricants
o Fillers – note that many fillers are dense, so particular attention should be paid to the overall blend
density
o Pigments
o Impact modifiers
o Chemical blowing agents

Additive usage should be minimized to maintain the best performance of recycled HDPE for future uses.

Additives not listed require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Of particular concern are additives which cause the recycled HDPE to
discolor or change viscosity after remelting, or dense additives that increase the density of the blend making it
sink, thus rendering the package unrecyclable per APR definition. The APR encourages users to test the additive
according to the appropriate test protocol before implementing. Testing must show that additives will not cause
unacceptable discoloration, viscosity changes, or density changes.

Test Protocol: HDPE Benchmark Test *This test is currently being developed.

Additive concentration causing the overall blend to sink renders the package non-recyclable per the APR
definition. Many of the additives and fillers used with HDPE are very dense and when blended with the
polymer increase the overall density of the blend. When their weight percentage reaches the point that the
blend density is greater than 1.00, the blend sinks in water rather than floats. Density is an important property
and float-sink tanks are critical separation tools used by reclaimers. Therefore, a sinking material will be
considered waste by a polypropylene reclaimer and any HDPE in the blend will be lost. The APR test protocol
should be consulted to determine if a blend sinks.

COLOR
Unpigmented HDPE is preferred.
Natural material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use
applications. It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

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Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.
Optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an unacceptable fluorescence for
next uses of recycled HDPE. It is difficult to identify material with this negative effect until extremely late in the
recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been imparted into a material of low value due to the
additive.

Translucent and opaque colors are preferred.

HDPE is commonly colored so volumes and markets exist for colored material and it is economical to process.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. There is no mechanical property inherent in dark HDPE
that makes it unrecyclable. The problem lies in sorting and the physics behind polymer identification. NIR (near-
infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs is not capable of identifying many dark polymers since the colorant
absorbs light. There are dark shades that may be detected by NIR, and a HDPE label of a different color on a
package might aid in detection by NIR. It is not feasible to use manual sorting to distinguish one dark polymer
from another since there are just too many items.

Although the APR encourages and anticipates development in capturing dark plastics at the MRF this technology
is not widely available today. It should be noted that black is a commonly used color in HDPE, particularly in oil
bottles and industrial items. These items fall outside the scope of the design guide since they are not typically
collected through curbside collection that is the focus of this guidance. Non-NIR sortable HDPE, if collected in a
source separated or postindustrial stream, can be reclaimed.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film
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or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at Least 2Dimensions Less than 2”

Polyethylene or Polypropylene are preferred for items greater than two gallons in volume.
Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polyethylene closures are preferred.
Since polyethylene is the same polymer as the package body, closures and dispensers made of it will be
captured and processed with HDPE. This increases the reclaimers yield and reduces possible waste.

Polypropylene closures are detrimental to recycling.

Since polypropylene floats in water like polyethylene it is not separated in the reclaimers float-sink tank. When
blended with HDPE it negatively affects the impact properties and can render the material brittle. Although very
small amounts of PP, such as that contributed by labels, are regularly accepted by HDPE reclaimers, closures and
dispensers comprise a larger weight percentage of the package and therefore a greater negative affect. The
APR recognizes that polypropylene is perhaps the most commonly used material for closures.

Closure systems without liners are preferred.

Due to size and thickness, most liners are lost in the recycling process thereby slightly decreasing yield. Closures
without liners do not experience this loss.

EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.

EVA and TPE float in water and will not be separated in the recycling process. However, they are compatible
with HDPE and in fact enhance its properties so they are preferred.

Pumps and spray dispensers containing metal parts require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability
category. Although metal is easily removed in the float-sink process, most reclaimers have metal detection
equipment designed to protect their cutting machinery. Therefore, the container never makes it to the float-
sink tank. Large metal items attached to HDPE packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or
waste stream in the recycling process, causing yield loss. Metal springs, although not generally large enough to
trigger the metal detector, unravel during recycling and entwine themselves in screens designed to separate
water from the material thereby ruining the screen. This adds significant cost and downtime to the recycling
process. The APR encourages the use of polymer check valves and springs whenever technically possible. The
body of the spray dispenser or pump should also be the same polymer as the body of the bottle whenever
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technical possible to increase yield and decrease contamination of the recycled HDPE.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures containing metal or metal foils require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability category.
Although metal is easily removed in the float-sink process, most reclaimers have metal detection equipment
designed to protect their cutting machinery. Therefore, the container never makes it to the float-sink tank.
Large metal items attached to HDPE packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or waste
stream in the recycling process, causing yield loss.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures containing floating silicone polymer are detrimental to recycling.

This material passes through the float-sink tank along with the HDPE and is difficult to remove with other
methods, thereby causing contamination in the final product. It should be noted that sinking silicone does not
experience this issue.

The use of PVC closures is detrimental to recycling.

PVC is relatively easy to remove in the float-sink tank since it sinks while the HDPE floats. However, the float-
sink tank is imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC with the recycled HDPE renders large amounts of it
unusable as the PVC degrades at lower temperatures than those at which HDPE is processed.

Closures made from polystyrene or thermoset plastics are preferred.

Both materials are heavier than water and sink in the float-sink tank, thereby separating from the HDPE. They
also do not damage or wear cutting machinery in the recycling process. Small amounts of these materials that
make it through the float-sink process can be melt filtered from the recycled HDPE in the extrusion step.
However, these materials are lost to the waste stream in the recycling process and are considered less
preferable than an alternative floating attachment that is compatible with HDPE.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the HDPE in contact with them and possibly
diminishing its value for recycling. Since most recycled HDPE is colored, the impact of bleeding inks may not be
significant; however, since the end use is not known beforehand, label inks should be chosen that do not bleed
color when recycled. The APR test protocol should be consulted to determine if an ink bleeds.

Screening Test: PP/HDPE Bleeding Label Test

Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system. Inks used in direct printing may bleed, otherwise discolor the HDPE during the recycling process, or
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introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the recycled HDPE may be diminished. Some
inks used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to determine its effect.

Test Protocol: HDPE Benchmark Test *This test is currently being developed.

In-mold labels of a compatible polymer are preferred.

In-mold labels are not removed in the recycling process since they are bonded with the wall of the package.
They will flow though the recycling process with the HDPE and be blended with the recycled HDPE. The lack of
adhesive is beneficial to recycling since it cannot affect color or other mechanical properties. The label polymer
and ink should be compatible with HDPE so as not to negatively affect its properties.

Full bottle sleeve labels designed for sorting are preferred.

A positive aspect of sleeve labels is the lack of adhesive requiring removal in the recycling process. However, full
bottle sleeve labels cover a large amount of the bottle surface with a polymer that is not the same as the bottle
body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering sorting may cause an automatic sorter to
direct a HDPE bottle to another material stream where it is lost to the process. Furthermore, some
incompatible sleeve materials that cannot be separated from the HDPE in the float-sink tank can contaminate
the recycled HDPE produced. Sleeve labels that are designed for automatic sorting and sink in water are
preferred, with the exception of PVC, where even small residual amounts that make it through the float-sink
process will destroy the recycled HDPE in the extrusion process. Polyolefin sleeve labels that are designed for
automatic sorting are also preferred since the small levels of completely incompatible material expected from
label residue has a very minimal negative impact.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Testing must show that adhesives will either wash off cleanly from the HDPE in the recycling process or be
compatible with HDPE. However, typical HDPE recycling process conditions are not aggressive enough to
remove all adhesive material, and a certain amount of residual adhesive is to be expected in recycled HDPE.
Adhesive that is not removed from HDPE during the wash step is a source of contamination and discoloration
when HDPE is recycled. For these reasons, minimal adhesive usage is encouraged.

The APR is developing a PP/HDPE Adhesive Test to classify adhesive as either wash friendly, non-wash friendly
and compatible with HDPE, or non-wash friendly and incompatible with HDPE. Non-wash friendly, incompatible
adhesive is detrimental to recycling.

LABEL-ADHESIVE COMBINATIONS

The classification and recyclability of label substrates is dependent on the type of adhesive that is used with
them. In general, a label substrate that sinks in water and is used with an adhesive that releases in the
reclaimers wash system is preferred since the substrate will be removed in the float-sink tank. A label substrate
that is compatible with HDPE is also preferred no matter what the adhesive. Therefore, label substrates are
classified by the type of adhesive used with them.

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels are preferred.

HDPE labels are the same polymer as the final product and PP at the very small levels expected from label

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residue has a very minimal negative impact. Therefore, these labels that remain with the HDPE throughout the
recycling process, whether they detach or not, increase yield and have minimal negative quality impact for the
reclaimer.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling.

The HDPE reclamation process involves water and agitation. The paper that detaches from the container when
subjected to these conditions becomes pulp, which does not sink intact but remains suspended in the liquid,
adding load to the filtering and water treatment systems. Paper remaining adhered to the HDPE travels with the
HDPE to the extruder where the material carbonizes and causes color defects. Even after melt filtering, the
burned smell and discoloration remain with the recycled HDPE thereby negatively affecting its potential reuse.
Non-pulping paper labels used with non-releasing adhesives compound the problem since the entire label enters
the extruder. Non-pulping labels, heavy enough to sink and durable enough to withstand the washing process
that are used with releasing adhesives may alleviate this issue.

Metal foil labels are detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash
and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
In the MRF, even very thin metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the
entire bottle to be directed to the metal stream, thereby creating yield loss. Sorting equipment in the reclaiming
process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from HDPE. If small, not detected, or allowed to pass, these
labels, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, either cause the attached HDPE to sink
where it is lost in the float-sink tank or pass into the extruder and are removed with melt filtering. When used
with an adhesive that releases in the wash, these labels quickly sink in the float sink tank where they are
removed

PVC labels render the package non-recyclable per APR when used with an adhesive that does not release in
the wash and detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PVC, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, enters the extruder with the HDPE where
they are incompatible. PVC degrades at HDPE extrusion temperatures and renders large amounts of the
recycled HDPE unusable. When used with an adhesive that releases in the wash, these labels sink in the float-
sink tank where they are removed. But because the float-sink tank is imperfect, and even a very small amount of
PVC entering the extruder causes severe quality and yield problems, this material is detrimental.

PLA labels render the package non-recyclable per APR when used with an adhesive that does not release in
the wash and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PLA label material, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, enters the extruder with the
HDPE where they are incompatible. When used with an adhesive that releases in the wash, the PLA detaches
from the HDPE before the float-sink tank where it sinks and is removed. Even though the float-sink process is
imperfect, the small amounts of PLA entering the extrusion process are not catastrophic

Polystyrene labels are detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash
and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PS, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, remains with the HDPE and enters the
extruder where it is blended with the HDPE. PS is not compatible with HDPE and may cause splay or reduce
impact toughness for the recycled HDPE user. PS label material, when used with an adhesive that releases in the
wash, detaches from the HDPE before the float sink tank where it sinks and is removed.
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ATTACHMENTS
Polypropylene or polyethylene tamper evident safety sleeves are preferred.
HDPE safety sleeves are the same polymer as the final product, and PE at the very small levels expected from
safety sleeve residue has a very minimal negative impact. Therefore, these attachments that remain with the
HDPE throughout the recycling process increase yield and have minimal negative quality impact for the
reclaimer.

PETG tamper evident safety sleeves are preferred.

PETG sinks in the float sink tank where it is removed from the HDPE. Unlike PVC, small amounts of PETG
entering the extrusion process with the HDPE are not catastrophic since PETG can be melt filtered.

PVC tamper evident safety seals are detrimental to recycling.

PVC sinks in the float-sink tank where the majority of it is removed from the HDPE. Because the float sink tank is
imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC entering the extruder causes sever quality and yield problems,
this material is detrimental. PVC degrades at HDPE extrusion temperatures and renders large amounts of the
recycled HDPE unusable.

Non-HDPE attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Testing must show that these attachments are not adhesively bonded to the package and are made from
materials that sink in water so they readily separate from the package when ground and put through a float-sink
separation. If adhesives are used to affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria
within this document.

Test Protocol: HDPE Benchmark Test *This test is currently being developed.

Metal, metalized and metal-containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category. Metal or metal-containing attachments may cause NIR sorters in MRFs to misidentify a
HDPE container as metal and direct it to a metal stream, from which it is then discarded. Sorting equipment in
the reclaiming process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from HDPE in order to protect cutting
machinery. Large items, or items adhesively bonded to the HDPE, can damage the machinery and render the
entire package non-recyclable. If small, not detected, or allowed to pass, metals, when used with wash friendly
or no adhesive quickly sink in the float sink tank where they are removed from the HDPE.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Plastic attachments with a density > 1.00 except for PVC are preferred.
These items sink in the sink-float tank where they are removed from the HDPE and small residual amounts do
not severely affect the final product since many of them are melt filtered. PVC is detrimental as discussed
elsewhere in this document.

Welded attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the HDPE in the recycling process. These
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attachments may cause recycled HDPE contamination and yield loss issues in both cases: when the ground
section containing both polymers sinks and carries the HDPE with it, or when the ground section floats and
carries an incompatible material with the HDPE into the extrusion process. Testing must show that the blend is
of a density less than 1.0 so that it floats along with the HDPE in the float-sink tank, and that it is compatible
with HDPE in the extrusion process.

Polypropylene attachments are detrimental to recycling.

Because polypropylene floats in water, it is not separated in the reclaimers float-sink tank. When blended with
HDPE it negatively affects stiffness and impact properties. Although very small amounts of PE, such as that
contributed by labels, are regularly accepted by HDPE reclaimers, some attachments comprise a larger weight
percentage of the package and therefore a greater negative affect.

RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
RFID’s are printed on silver metal, which may create costly waste disposal issues. While RFID’s are small, they
may affect HDPE recycling in the same ways as metal labels or other attachments. The use of RFID’s is
discouraged as may limit HDPE yield, introduce potential contamination, and increase separation and waste
disposal costs.

PLA attachments are preferred.

As discussed in the sections on labels and closures, PLA sinks in the float-sink tank and can be therefore
removed from the HDPE. Unlike PVC, small amounts of PLA entering the extrusion process are not catastrophic

PVC attachments are detrimental to recycling.

PVC sinks in the float sink tank where the majority of it is removed from the HDPE. Because the float sink tank is
imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC entering the extruder causes sever quality and yield problems,
this material is detrimental. PVC degrades at HDPE extrusion temperatures and renders large amounts of the
recycled HDPE unusable

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM
D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, Resin Identification Code #3)

Due to its price, clarity, chemical and UV resistance, natural barrier properties and low melting temperature,
PVC is a good material for many applications. However, the low melting temperature and chemical composition
of PVC makes it extremely incompatible with most other common polymers. When even minute amounts of
PVC are processed with other polymers the PVC degrades into hydrochloric acid and chlorine rendering large
amounts of the polymer useless. Since PVC sinks in water it is difficult to remove in conventional PET recycling
systems. Currently, the number of PVC bottles in the post-consumer collected stream of plastic bottles is at
such low levels that the bottles are not recycled and considered a contaminant. Because of this APR finds the
use of PVC bottles undesirable if those bottles are included with bales of PET or HDPE bottles. PVC is currently
best collected and recycled in a dedicated, source selected system outside the scope of the APR Design Guide
for Plastics Recyclability such as a construction and demolition stream. If a bottle designer or specifier finds that
PVC must be the resin of choice for a given application, APR recommends the following in hopes that PVC bottle
recycling may someday be a commercial opportunity:

BASE POLYMER
The use of postconsumer PVC content is preferred.
The use of postconsumer PVC in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and
economically feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

Non-PVC layers and coatings require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The use of non-PVC layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PVC if not implemented according to
APR test protocols. Layers and coatings must either separate and be removed from the PVC in the recycling
process or have no adverse effects on the RPVC in future uses. When used, their content should be minimized
to the greatest extent possible to maximize PVC yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation
costs.

Screening Test: TBT

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled PVC is intended to be used in new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled PVC. Additives designed to
degrade the polymer diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the recycling
process, these additives shorten the useful life of the product made from the RPVC as well, possibly
compromising quality and durability.
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Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the RPVC that includes the additive. These
additives must either separate and be removed from the PVC in the recycling process or have no adverse effects
on the RPVC in future uses. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to
maximize PVC yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

Additives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Additives such as de-nesting, anti-static, anti-blocking, anti-fogging,
anti-slip, UV barrier, stabilizer and heat receptor agents and lubricants should be tested to determine their
compatibility with recycling. Of particular concern are additives which cause the RPVC to discolor or haze after
remelting since RPVC with poor haze or discoloration is greatly devalued and has limited markets. This is
particularly troublesome since it is difficult to identify material with this effect until extremely late in the
recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been imparted into the material.

Screening Test: TBT

Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.

Like many other additives, optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an
unacceptable fluorescence for next uses of RPVC containing the brighteners. It is difficult to identify material
with this negative effect until extremely late in the recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been
imparted into a material of low value due to the additive.

COLOR
Clear unpigmented PVC is preferred.
Clear material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use applications.
It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs and
reclaimers is not capable of identifying many dark polymers since the colorant absorbs light and manual sorting
cannot distinguish one dark polymer from another. Some dark shades may be detected by NIR but these must
be tested to determine their sortability. Other separation techniques such as float-sink cannot be employed
since many polymers sink with PVC. Therefore, dark packaging is considered a contaminant for nearly all
reclaimers.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier

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items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film
or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at Least 2 Dimensions less than 2
Inches

Items greater than two gallons in volume are detrimental to recycling.

Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polypropylene and polyethylene closures are preferred.
Because these polymers float, they are most easily separated from the bottle in conventional separation
systems. Additionally, the PVC recycling process captures floatable polyethylene and polypropylene to create an
ancillary stream of marketable material. Care must be taken when modifying the polyethylene or polypropylene
to ensure the modifier does not increase the overall density to the point it sinks.

Closure systems without liners are preferred.

Due to size and thickness, most liners are lost in the recycling process thereby slightly decreasing yield. Closures
without liners do not experience this loss.

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EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.
Both EVA and TPE float in water and will be separated in the recycling process with the floatable polyethylene
and polypropylene. Since EVA and TPE are compatible with these polymers, and in fact enhance their
properties, they are preferred.

Closures containing metal or metal foils require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Metal is difficult to separate from PVC compared to the preferred closure systems (polypropylene and
polyethylene) and adds both capital and operating costs to conventional reclamation processes. Even a small
amount of metal left in the RPVC stream will block extruder screens in remanufacturing. Large metal items
attached to PVC packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or waste stream in the recycling
process, causing yield loss. Small metal components such as spray dispenser springs unravel in the recycling
process and blind screens, adding significant cost for removal at the end of the process.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures made from polystyrene or thermoset plastics are undesirable for recycling.
Both materials are heavier than water and sink in the float-sink tank with PET. They are extremely difficult to
separate from RPET flake, requiring a costly and inexact polymer flake sorter currently not installed in many
reclaiming operations.

Closures containing silicone polymer are detrimental to recycling.

Silicone sinks in the float-sink tank with the PVC and is difficult to remove with other methods, thereby causing
contamination in the final product.

The use of PET closures or closure liners render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
PET sinks and is extremely hard for the recycler to remove.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Removing adhesives is a significant component to the cost of recycling. The most recyclable packages use the
lowest quantity of recycle-friendly adhesive. Lower adhesive usage reduces processing cost and potential
contamination risk.

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels with a specific gravity less than 0.95 are preferred.
These materials float in water so they are separated from the PVC in the float-sink tank with the closures. Since
they are the same general polymer as most of the closures they do not contaminate or devalue this stream.
Care should be taken to ensure that any modifiers to the label material do not increase its density above 0.95.

Laminated labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process
because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over
of delaminated labels into the RPVC can result in contamination.

Definitive Test: TBT

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Full bottle sleeve labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Full bottle sleeve labels cover a large amount of the bottle surface with a polymer that is not the same as the
bottle body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering recycling may cause a false reading on
an automatic sorter and direct a PVC bottle to another material stream where it is lost to the process.
Furthermore, some sleeve label materials cannot be removed in the recycling process and contaminate the RPET
produced. Sleeve labels that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should be selected.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

Pressure sensitive labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Pressure sensitive labels generally require complete adhesive coverage which is greater than other typical label
methods. This raises the importance of the compatibility of the type of adhesive with the recycling process.
Adhesives resistant to washing in the recycling process allow labels to remain on the PET and become
contaminants in the final product. Adhesives that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should
be selected.

Screening Test: TBT

Polystyrene labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
PS inherently sinks in water due to its density so it travels with the PVC in the recyclers’ float-sink systems.
However, expanded PS may float and in this case, it may be less of a problem to the recycler.

Screening Test: Labels, Closures and Attachments Floatability Test (with PVC substituted for PET in the
test method)

Label structures that sink in water because of the choice of substrate, ink, decoration, coatings, and top layer
require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. The reclaimers rely on float-sink
systems to separate non-PVC materials. Label components that sink with the PVC end up in the RPVC stream as
contaminants.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling (for pressure sensitive paper labels reference the pressure sensitive
label category.
The PVC reclamation process involves a hot caustic wash that removes glue and other label components to the
levels required to render the RPVC usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is
very difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment
systems. Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the
PVC. Paper fibers remaining in the RPVC carbonize when the material is heated and remelted, causing
unacceptable quality degradation. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the caustic wash process sink in the
float-sink tank, thereby causing RPVC contamination.

Metal foil, metalized and metallic printed labels require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability
category. Sorting equipment in the recycling process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from PVC. Even
very thin metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the entire bottle to be
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rejected as waste, thereby creating yield loss. If not detected, they pass through the process with the PVC and
cause contamination issues in the RPVC.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

PET and PETG labels render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
This material is extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to its similarity in density to PVC.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Adhesives that wash off cleanly from PVC and remain adhered to the label are preferred. Label adhesive that is
not removed from PET, or which re-deposits on the PVC during the wash step is a source of contamination and
discoloration when PVC is recycled.

The recycling process is designed to remove reasonably expected contamination from the surface of the PVC to
a degree necessary to render the RPVC economically reusable in further applications. In practice, some
adhesives are resistant to this process so are detrimental to recycling. In extreme cases, an adhesive and label
cannot be separated from the PVC and may render a package not recyclable.

Screening Tests: TBT

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the PVC in contact with them and
significantly diminishing its value for recycling. Label inks must be chosen that do not bleed color when tested
under this protocol.

Screening Tests: TBT

*See the definitive test for the appropriate label type

Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system. Historically, inks used in direct printing tend to bleed or otherwise discolor the PET during the recycling
process or introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the RPVC is diminished. Some inks
used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to determine its effect.

Screening Test: TBT

ATTACHMENTS
Clear PVC attachments are preferred.
Attachments made of the base polymer are recovered and recycled with the base polymer without causing
contamination or yield loss, thereby generating the highest value.

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Tamper evident sleeves and safety seals require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. If tamper resistance is required in specific product applications, it should be an integral design feature
of the bottle. The use of tamper-resistant or tamper-evident sleeves or seals is discouraged as they can act as
contaminants if they do not completely detach from the bottle or are not easily removed in conventional
separation systems. If sleeves or safety seals are used, they should be designed to completely detach from the
bottle, leaving no remains on the bottle. The material used should float and separate from the PVC in the float-
sink system.

Screening Test: Labels, Closures and Attachments Floatability Test (with PVC substituted for PET in the
test method)

Non-PVC attachments such as handles require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. These should not be adhesively bonded to the package and should readily separate from the package
when ground. They should be made from materials that float in water such as PP or HDPE. If adhesives are
used to affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria within this document.

Screening Test: Labels, Closures and Attachments Floatability Test (with PVC substituted for PET in the
test method)

Metal, metalized and metal containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category. Examples include metal foils and metalized substrates that sink in water as well as metal
sprayer balls and springs. In the recycling process these items are either identified and removed along with their
PVC component in the early stages, thereby causing yield loss, or they pass into the recycling process causing a
contamination issue. Since they are heavier than water they sink with the PVC in the float-sink tank. Many of
these items are too small to be removed with machinery designed to remove metal such as eddy current and
optical separators. Springs in particular unravel and become entangled in filtering screens throughout the
recycling process.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Paper attachments are detrimental to recycling.

The PVC reclamation process uses a hot caustic wash to remove glue and other contaminants to the levels
required to render the RPVC usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is very
difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems.
Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the PVC. Paper
fibers remaining in the RPVC carbonize when the material is reused causing unacceptable quality degradation.

Welded attachments are detrimental to recycling.

A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the PVC in the recycling process. These
attachments, even when ground and made of floatable materials, cause RPVC contamination and yield loss
issues in both cases: when the PVC they are attached to causes the ground section containing both polymers to
sink, or when the ground section floats.

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RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
Unless they are compatible with PVC recycling and are demonstrated not to create any disposal issues based on
their material content, the use of RFID’s is discouraged as it limits PVC yield, introduces potential contamination,
and increases separation costs.

PET and PLA attachments of any kind render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
The use of PET or PLA attachments of any kind on PVC packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously
avoided. This includes thermoforms of PET and/or PLA that may be visually confused with PVC thermoforms.
Very small amounts of PET or PLA can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PVC useless for most
recycling applications. In addition, PET and PLA are very difficult to separate from PVC in conventional water-
based density separation systems due to similar densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in
these systems.

POSTCONSUMER CONTENT
The use of postconsumer PVC in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and
economically feasible.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE Film

Film is used for many applications requiring a variety of properties. The vast majority of film is polyethylene and
polypropylene but currently, only polyethylene is routinely collected and recycled postconsumer.

SCOPE: The following guidance provided for film plastics diverges from the scope outlined in the Design Guide
introduction because it does not consider the single stream MRF the primary collection source. The film plastic
guidance must address a different supply chain in which single stream curb side collection systems are a very
minor part. Single-stream recovery of film, and film sortation in MRFs, does exist but the technology and
logistics are in their infancy.

Collection and source selection of plastic film is an extremely important part of film recycling and is discussed at
depth in the design guide resources section of the APR website.

Residential postconsumer film is primarily collected at retail locations, mostly grocery stores, and thus may
include a mix of materials including LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, PP and a growing number of multi-layer packaging.
Depending on the contamination present and the desired application the recycler may use a wet or dry system
to process this material. This guide considers both processes. Each modification and addition to a single clear
base polyolefin polymer in a film or film package must be considered for its effect on the recycling stream.

Plastic film is used in a wide number of industrial applications and postindustrial film is an important source of
film that is collected and recycled. The APR Design® Guide can be a reference when designing industrial
applications with film, but not all guidance may be applicable when collection and recycling of such
commercially used film is in a dedicated, closed loop system.

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BASE POLYMER
Postconsumer polyethylene (PE) content is preferred.
The use of postconsumer PE in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and economically
feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

The use of non-PE layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PE film if not implemented according to
APR test protocols. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize
yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

Non-PE layers and coatings require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Layers and coatings are not removed in the film recycling process. They enter the extrusion stage of the process
with the base material where they are either melted and blended with the PE or remain solid and are filtered
from the melted product. A filterable coating is rare due to its extremely thin profile. Testing must show that
unfilterable layers and coatings have no adverse effect on the recycled PE in future uses. Some coatings such as
EVOH may be acceptable at small weight percentages of the total film but only testing can determine this.
Several compatibilizers are available on the market that may, if used correctly allow a non-compatible material
to blend with the PE without negative effects. This can also be demonstrated by testing the specific formulation
of the film.

Benchmark Test: APR Benchmark Polyethylene (PE) Films and Flexible Packaging Innovation Test Protocol

PVC and PVDC layers and coatings render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
PVC and PVDC degrade at low temperatures rendering large portions of the recycled PE unusable.

Metalized layers are detrimental to recycling.

Metalized layers are extremely thin layers of metal deposited on the film as a vapor. They should not be
confused with actual metal layers addressed as “foil” in this document. Metalized layers are not removed in the
recycling process and are melted and blended with the PE. This causes material discoloring. In many cases a
metalized film will be detected early in the recycling process by metal detectors designed to protect machinery
from catastrophic damage. Metal detectors are unable to differentiate between a metalized film and a solid
metal part so the entire package is normally discarded rather than accept the risk.

Workhorse additives historically used without issue are preferred.

Most PE films contain some form of additives. The “workhorse” additives commonly used have not been shown
to cause significant issues with the recycling process or further uses of the recycled PE. Commonly acceptable
workhorse additives include:

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 • Thermal stabilizers - These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling.
• UV stabilizers – These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling
• Nucleating agents
• Antistatic agents
• Lubricants
• Slip agents
• Fillers – note that many fillers are dense, so particular attention should be paid to the overall blend
density
• Pigments
• Impact modifiers
• Chemical blowing agents
• Tackifiers

Additive usage should be minimized to maintain the best performance of recycled PE for future uses.

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled film is intended to be reused into new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled film. Additives designed to
degrade the polymer by definition diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the
recycling process, these additives also shorten the useful life of the product made from the recycled film,
possibly compromising quality and durability.

Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the recycled film that includes the additive.
Testing must show that these additives will either separate and be removed from the film in the recycling
process or have no adverse effects on the recycled film in future uses. When used, their content should be
minimized to the greatest extent possible.

Screening Test: HDPE/PP Degradable Additives Test

Additive concentration causing the overall blend to sink renders the package non-recyclable per the APR
definition. Many of the additives and fillers used with PE are very dense and when blended with the polymer
increase the overall density of the blend. When their weight percentage reaches the point that the blend
density is greater than 1.00, the blend sinks in water rather than floats. Density is an important property and
float-sink tanks are critical separation tools used by film reclaimers who use a wet wash process. Therefore, a
sinking material will be considered waste by such a film reclaimer. Film reclaimers using a dry process are
normally able to process this material but there is no way to determine if a particular film will be processed by a
dry or wet system. The APR test protocol should be consulted to determine if a blend sinks.

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Additives not listed require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Of particular concern are additives which cause the recycled PE to
discolor, gel or change viscosity after remelting, or dense additives that increase the density of the blend making
it sink, thus rendering the package unrecyclable per APR definition. The APR encourages users to test the
additive according to the appropriate test protocol before implementing. Testing must show that additives have
no adverse effect on the recycled PE in future uses.

The APR is developing a test protocol to determine an additives compatibility with PE in film
applications.

COLOR
Unpigmented PE is preferred.
Natural material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use
applications. It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

White, buff or lightly colored colors are preferred.

It is not common for film to be sorted by color in the recycling process. Therefore, the resulting recycled
material is a blend of all the colors present. Light colors blend well with little effect.

Dark colors, particularly blues and greens are detrimental to recycling.

It is not common for film to be sorted by color in the recycling process. Therefore, the resulting recycled material is
a blend of all the colors present. Dark colors have a great effect on a lot of material. Since the standard material is a
light blend and dark colors are relatively rare, the reclaimer normally hand selects dark colors and processes them
separately. In some cases, the dark colors are discarded. The recyclers are adapting to this issue by building
processes that are more accepting of dark colors, while at the same time, brand names are replacing dark colors
with light colors for their packaging films.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Direct printing is preferred.
Of the available labeling methods direct printing adds the least amount of potential contamination. Small levels
of the correct inks disperse in the final polymer without having much of an impact on quality. Heavily printed
film of dark colors can be problematic since the dark colors affects a large amount of polymer, limiting its
potential for reuse. The amount of printing should be limited since heavy levels of ink volatize in the extruder
and may cause gels in the final product even if most recyclers use vented extruders. Large amounts of printing
can overwhelm the capacity of these extruders to remove the volatile components.

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Polyethylene labels are preferred.
Labels made of the same or compatible polymer as the film do not become contaminates and are recycled with
the film

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling.

Paper labels pulp and become a water filtration and contamination problem if they are processed through a wet
recycling process. Individual paper fibers are very difficult to remove and attach themselves to the film creating
specks and irregularities in the products made from recycled film. Furthermore, in either a wet or dry process
they degrade in the extruder creating an undesirable burnt smell that cannot be removed from the recycled
plastic. This significantly limits its reuse.

Metal foil labels and layers render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
These labels should not be confused with metalized film. Metal foil labels are extremely problematic in two
areas. First, they alarm metal detectors that are employed at the beginning of the recycling process to protect
machinery. When this occurs, the entire package containing the offending part is discarded and landfilled.
Secondly, if they happen to pass through the process into the extruder they can quickly blind a melt filter
causing a pressure upset which automatically shuts down the process for safety.

ATTACHMENTS
Non-PE attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Attachments enter the film recycling process along with the film they are attached to. They enter the extrusion
stage of the process with the base material where they are either melted and blended with the PE or remain
solid and are filtered from the melted product. Testing must show that the material is removed from the PE
stream or has no adverse effect on the recycled PE in future uses.

Benchmark Test: APR Benchmark Polyethylene (PE) Films and Flexible Packaging Innovation Test Protocol

Metal and metal-containing attachments render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Metal parts are extremely problematic in two areas. First, they alarm metal detectors that are employed at the
beginning of the recycling process to protect machinery. When this occurs, the entire package containing the
offending part is discarded and landfilled. Secondly, if they happen to pass through the process into the
extruder they can damage the extruder or quickly blind a melt filter causing a pressure upset which
automatically shuts down the process for safety.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM D7611

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
Polypropylene (PP, Resin Identification Code #5)

Due to its balance of impact, heat and chemical resistance, along with stiffness and close dimensional tolerance,
PP is one of the most widely used packaging resins. It is easily injection molded, blow molded or thermoformed
into a bottle, pail, tray, tub or closure. Unlike some other polymers, the versatility of PP allows all components
(label, body and closure) of many PP packages to be made of PP. This practice is beneficial to recycling.

PP properties are commonly enhanced with colorants, additives and fillers, or it is placed alongside other
polymers in a multi-layer package. Each modification and addition to the natural PP in a package must be
considered for its effect on the recycling stream. Non-PP packaging features should either be economically
removed from the PP in the typical recycling process or be compatible with PP in future uses. Of particular
concern are mineral fillers or additives that cause the overall density of the blend to be greater than 1.00. The
density of PP is .90-.92 so it floats in water. Density is an important property as reclaimers typically rely on float-
sink tanks to separate polymers and to remove contaminants.

Per the scope outlined in the Design Guide introduction, the following guidance is focused on postconsumer
packaging items that are typically picked up in single stream curb side collection systems. Further the guidance
considers the impact on sortation at a modern automated MRF or PRF, as well as the compatibility of a PP
packaging item in common PP reclaiming processes. This guidance will also be applicable to other postconsumer
household items such as toys.

PP is used in a wide number of industrial applications and postindustrial PP is an important source of PP that is
collected and recycled. The APR Design® Guide can be a reference when designing industrial applications with
PP, but not all guidance may be applicable when recyclability of such commercially used items is being
considered.

The APR Recognition Program encourages consumer product, plastic package and bottle component
manufacturers to work with the APR protocols to determine whether new modifications to a regularly recycled
plastic package will negatively impact the recycling process prior to introducing the modification.

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BASE POLYMER
Postconsumer polyolefin content is preferred.
The use of postconsumer PP in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and economically
feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

The use of non-PP layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PP if not implemented according to APR
test protocols. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize PP
yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

EVOH layers are preferred.

EVOH is a common layer material used to increase the barrier properties of PP. It is not separable in the
recycling process and therefore will become part of the recycled PP. Although EVOH blended with PP is not
without issue (it may cause splay when extruded or molded and contribute to die lip build up) it is generally
accepted. EVOH has performed successfully in previous critical guidance tests. Some recycled PP users have
experienced molding problems at values approaching 3%. Its use should be minimized to maintain the best
performance of recycled PP for future uses.

Non-PP layers and coatings other than EVOH require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Testing must show that layers and coatings will either separate and be removed from the PP in the
recycling process or have no adverse effects on the recycled PP in future uses. When used, their content should
be minimized to the greatest extent possible. Some layers and coatings have been found compatible with PP or
are easily separated in conventional recycling systems.

Test Protocol: PP Benchmark Test

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled PP is intended to be used in new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled PP. Additives designed to degrade
the polymer by definition diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the recycling
process, these additives also shorten the useful life of the product made from the recycled PP, possibly
compromising quality and durability.

Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the recycled PP that includes the additive.
Testing must show that these additives will either separate and be removed from the PP in the recycling process
or have no adverse effects on the recycled PP in future uses. When used, their content should be minimized to
the greatest extent possible.

Screening Test: HDPE/PP Degradable Additives Test

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Workhorse additives historically used without issue are preferred.
Most PP in a package contains some form of additives. The “workhorse” additives commonly used have not
been shown to cause significant issues with the recycling process or further uses of the recycled PP. Commonly
acceptable workhorse additives include:
• Thermal stabilizers - These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling.
• UV stabilizers – These additives typically enhance the further processing of the polymer and are
therefore preferred for recycling
• Nucleating agents
• Clarifying agents
• Antistatic agents
• Lubricants
• Fillers – note that many fillers are dense, so particular attention should be paid to the overall blend
density
• Pigments
• Impact improvers
• Chemical blowing agents

Additive usage should be minimized to maintain the best performance of recycled PP for future uses.

Additives not listed require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. The APR
recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package but are not
addressed in this document. Of particular concern are additives which cause the recycled PP to discolor or
change viscosity after remelting, or dense additives that will increase the density of the blend over 1.0, thus
rendering the package unrecyclable per APR definition. The APR encourages users to test the additive according
to the appropriate test protocol before implementing. Testing must show that additives will not cause
unacceptable discoloration, viscosity changes, or density changes.

Test Protocol: PP Benchmark Test

Additive concentration causing the overall blend to sink renders the package non-recyclable per the APR
definition. Many of the additives and fillers used with PP are very dense and when blended with the polymer
increase the overall density of the blend. When their weight percentage reaches the point that the blend
density is greater than 1.00, the blend sinks in water rather than floats. Density is an important property and
float-sink tanks are critical separation tools used by reclaimers. Therefore, a sinking material will be considered
waste by a polypropylene reclaimer and any PP in the blend will be lost. The APR test protocol should be
consulted to determine if a blend sinks.

COLOR
Unpigmented PP is preferred.
Natural material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use
applications. It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

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Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.
Optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an unacceptable fluorescence for
next uses of recycled PP. It is difficult to identify material with this negative effect until extremely late in the
recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been imparted into a material of low value due to the
additive.

Translucent and opaque colors are preferred.

PP is commonly colored so volumes and markets exist for colored material and it is economical to process.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
There is no mechanical property inherent in dark PP that makes it unrecyclable. The problem lies in sorting and
the physics behind polymer identification. NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs is not capable of
identifying many dark polymers since the colorant absorbs light. There are dark shades that may be detected by
NIR, and a PP label of a different color on a package might aid in detection by NIR. It is not feasible to use
manual sorting to distinguish one dark polymer from another since there are just too many items.

Although the APR encourages and anticipates development in capturing dark plastics at the MRF this technology
is not widely available today. It should be noted that black is a commonly used color in PP, particularly in
industrial items. These items fall outside the scope of the design guide since they are not typically collected
through curbside collection that is the focus of this guidance. Non-NIR sortable PP, if collected in a source
separated or postindustrial stream, can be reclaimed.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film

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or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at Least 2 Dimensions Less than 2
Inches

Polyethylene or Polypropylene are preferred for items greater than two gallons in volume.
Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polypropylene closures are preferred.
Because polypropylene is the same polymer as the package body, closures and dispensers made of it will be
captured and processed with PP. This increases the reclaimers yield and reduces possible waste.

Polyethylene closures are detrimental to recycling.

Because polyethylene floats in water like polypropylene, it is not separated in the reclaimers float-sink tank.
When blended with PP it negatively affects stiffness and impact properties. Although very small amounts of PE,
such as that contributed by labels, are regularly accepted by PP reclaimers, closures and dispensers comprise a
larger weight percentage of the package and therefore a greater negative affect.

Closure systems without liners are preferred.

Due to size and thickness, most liners are lost in the recycling process thereby slightly decreasing yield. Closures
without liners do not experience this loss.

EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.

EVA and TPE float in water and will not be separated in the recycling process. However, they are compatible
with PP and in fact enhance its properties so they are preferred.

Pumps and spray dispensers containing metal parts require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability
category. Although metal is easily removed in the float-sink process, most reclaimers have metal detection
equipment designed to protect their cutting machinery. Therefore, the container never makes it to the float-
sink tank. Large metal items attached to PP packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or
waste stream in the recycling process, causing yield loss. Metal springs, although not generally large enough to
trigger the metal detector, unravel during recycling and entwine themselves in screens designed to separate
water from the material thereby ruining the screen. This adds significant cost and downtime to the recycling
process. The APR encourages the use of polymer check valves and springs whenever technically possible. The

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body of the spray dispenser or pump should also be the same polymer as the body of the bottle whenever
technical possible to increase yield and decrease contamination of the recycled PP.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures containing metal or metal foils require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability category.
Although metal is easily removed in the float-sink process, most reclaimers have metal detection equipment
designed to protect their cutting machinery. Therefore, the container never makes it to the float-sink tank.
Large metal items attached to PP packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or waste stream
in the recycling process, causing yield loss.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures containing floating silicone polymer are detrimental to recycling.

This material passes through the float-sink tank along with the PP and is difficult to remove with other methods,
thereby causing contamination in the final product. It should be noted that sinking silicone does not experience
this issue.

The use of PVC closures is detrimental to recycling.

PVC is relatively easy to remove in the float-sink tank since it sinks while the PP floats. However, the float-sink
tank is imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC with the recycled PP renders large amounts of it
unusable as the PVC degrades at lower temperatures than those at which PP is processed.

Closures made from polystyrene or thermoset plastics are preferred.

Both materials are heavier than water and sink in the float-sink tank, thereby separating from the PP. They also
do not damage or wear cutting machinery in the recycling process. Small amounts of these materials that make
it through the float-sink process can be melt filtered from the recycled PP in the extrusion step. However, these
materials are lost to the waste stream in the recycling process and are considered less preferable than an
alternative floating attachment that is compatible with PP.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the PP in contact with them and possibly
diminishing its value for recycling. Since most recycled PP is colored, the impact of bleeding inks may not be
significant; however, since the end use is not known beforehand, label inks should be chosen that do not bleed
color when recycled. The APR test protocol should be consulted to determine if an ink bleeds.

Screening Test: PP/HDPE Bleeding Label Test

Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system. Inks used in direct printing may bleed, otherwise discolor the PP during the recycling process, or

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introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the recycled PP may be diminished. Some inks
used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to determine its effect.

Test Protocol: PP Benchmark Test

In-mold labels of a compatible polymer are preferred.

In-mold labels are not removed in the recycling process since they are bonded with the wall of the package.
They will flow though the recycling process with the PP and be blended with the recycled PP. The lack of
adhesive is beneficial to recycling since it cannot affect color or other mechanical properties. The label polymer
and ink should be compatible with PP so as not to negatively affect its properties.

Full bottle sleeve labels designed for sorting are preferred.

A positive aspect of sleeve labels is the lack of adhesive requiring removal in the recycling process. However, full
bottle sleeve labels cover a large amount of the bottle surface with a polymer that is not the same as the bottle
body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering sorting may cause an automatic sorter to
direct a PP bottle to another material stream where it is lost to the process. Furthermore, some incompatible
sleeve materials that cannot be separated from the PP in the float-sink tank can contaminate the recycled PP
produced. Sleeve labels that are designed for automatic sorting and sink in water are preferred, with the
exception of PVC, where even small residual amounts that make it through the float-sink process will destroy
the recycled PP in the extrusion process. Polyolefin sleeve labels that are designed for automatic sorting are
also preferred since the small levels of completely incompatible material expected from label residue has a very
minimal negative impact.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Testing must show that adhesives will either wash off cleanly from the PP in the recycling process or be
compatible with PP. However, typical PP recycling process conditions are not aggressive enough to remove all
adhesive material, and a certain amount of residual adhesive is to be expected in recycled PP. Adhesive that is
not removed from PP during the wash step is a source of contamination and discoloration when PP is recycled.
For these reasons, minimal adhesive usage is encouraged.

The APR is developing a PP/HDPE adhesive test to classify adhesive as either wash friendly, non-wash friendly
and compatible with PP, or non-wash friendly and incompatible with PP. Non-wash friendly, incompatible
adhesive is detrimental to recycling.

One test protocol is under development: PP/HDPE Adhesive Test

LABEL-ADHESIVE COMBINATIONS
The classification and recyclability of label substrates is dependent on the type of adhesive that is used with
them. In general, a label substrate that sinks in water and is used with an adhesive that releases in the
reclaimers wash system is preferred since the substrate will be removed in the float-sink tank. A label substrate
that is compatible with PP is also preferred no matter what the adhesive. Therefore, label substrates are
classified by the type of adhesive used with them.

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels are preferred.

PP labels are the same polymer as the final product and PE at the very small levels expected from label residue

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has a very minimal negative impact. Therefore, these labels that remain with the PP throughout the recycling
process, whether they detach or not, increase yield and have minimal negative quality impact for the reclaimer.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling.

The PP reclamation process involves water and agitation. The paper that detaches from the container when
subjected to these conditions becomes pulp, which does not sink intact but remains suspended in the liquid,
adding load to the filtering and water treatment systems. Paper remaining adhered to the PP travels with the
PP to the extruder where the material carbonizes and causes color defects. Even after melt filtering, the burned
smell and discoloration remain with the recycled PP thereby negatively affecting its potential reuse. Non-
pulping paper labels used with non-releasing adhesives compound the problem since the entire label enters the
extruder. Non-pulping labels, heavy enough to sink and durable enough to withstand the washing process that
are used with releasing adhesives may alleviate this issue.

Metal foil labels are detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash
and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
In the MRF, even very thin metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the
entire bottle to be directed to the metal stream, thereby creating yield loss. Sorting equipment in the reclaiming
process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from PP. If small, not detected, or allowed to pass, these
labels, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, either cause the attached PP to sink
where it is lost in the float-sink tank or pass into the extruder and are removed with melt filtering. When used
with an adhesive that releases in the wash, these labels quickly sink in the float sink tank where they are
removed

PVC labels render the package non-recyclable per APR when used with an adhesive that does not release in
the wash and detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PVC, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, enters the extruder with the PP where they
are incompatible. PVC degrades at PP extrusion temperatures and renders large amounts of the recycled PP
unusable. When used with an adhesive that releases in the wash, these labels sink in the float-sink tank where
they are removed. But because the float-sink tank is imperfect, and even a very small amount of PVC entering
the extruder causes severe quality and yield problems, this material is detrimental.

PLA labels render the package non-recyclable per APR when used with an adhesive that does not release in
the wash and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PLA label material, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, enters the extruder with the
PP where they are incompatible. When used with an adhesive that releases in the wash, the PLA detaches from
the PP before the float-sink tank where it sinks and is removed. Even though the float-sink process is imperfect,
the small amounts of PLA entering the extrusion process are not catastrophic

Polystyrene labels are detrimental to recycling when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash
and preferred when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash.
PS, when used with an adhesive that does not release in the wash, remains with the PP and enters the extruder
where it is blended with the PP. PS is not compatible with PP and may cause splay or reduce impact toughness
for the recycled PP user. PS label material, when used with an adhesive that releases in the wash, detaches from
the PP before the float sink tank where it sinks and is removed.

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ATTACHMENTS
Polypropylene or polyethylene tamper evident safety sleeves are preferred.
PP safety sleeves are the same polymer as the final product, and PE at the very small levels expected from safety
sleeve residue has a very minimal negative impact. Therefore, these attachments that remain with the PP
throughout the recycling process increase yield and have minimal negative quality impact for the reclaimer.

PETG tamper evident safety sleeves are preferred.

PETG sinks in the float sink tank where it is removed from the PP. Unlike PVC, small amounts of PETG entering
the extrusion process with the PP are not catastrophic since PETG can be melt filtered.

PVC tamper evident safety seals are detrimental to recycling.

PVC sinks in the float-sink tank where the majority of it is removed from the PP. Because the float sink tank is
imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC entering the extruder causes sever quality and yield problems,
this material is detrimental. PVC degrades at PP extrusion temperatures and renders large amounts of the
recycled PP unusable.

Non-PP attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Testing must show that these attachments are not adhesively bonded to the package and are made from
materials that sink in water so they readily separate from the package when ground and put through a float-sink
separation. If adhesives are used to affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria
within this document.

Test Protocol: PP Benchmark Test

Metal, metalized and metal-containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category. Metal or metal-containing attachments may cause NIR sorters in MRFs to misidentify a
PP container as metal and direct it to a metal stream, from which it is then discarded. Sorting equipment in the
reclaiming process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from PP in order to protect cutting machinery.
Large items, or items adhesively bonded to the PP, can damage the machinery and render the entire package
non-recyclable. If small, not detected, or allowed to pass, metals, when used with wash friendly or no adhesive
quickly sink in the float sink tank where they are removed from the PP.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Plastic attachments with a density > 1.00 except for PVC are preferred.
These items sink in the sink-float tank where they are removed from the PP and small residual amounts do not
severely affect the final product since many of them are melt filtered. PVC is detrimental as discussed elsewhere
in this document.

Welded attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the PP in the recycling process. These
attachments may cause recycled PP contamination and yield loss issues in both cases: when the ground section
containing both polymers sinks and carries the PP with it, or when the ground section floats and carries an

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incompatible material with the PP into the extrusion process. Testing must show that the blend is of a density
less than 1.0 so that it floats along with the PP in the float-sink tank, and that it is compatible with PP in the
extrusion process.

Polyethylene attachments are detrimental to recycling.

Because polyethylene floats in water like polypropylene, it is not separated in the reclaimers float-sink tank.
When blended with PP it negatively affects stiffness and impact properties. Although very small amounts of PE,
such as that contributed by labels, are regularly accepted by PP reclaimers, some attachments comprise a larger
weight percentage of the package and therefore a greater negative affect.

RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
RFID’s are printed on silver metal, which may create costly waste disposal issues. While RFID’s are small, they
may affect PP recycling in the same ways as metal labels or other attachments. The use of RFID’s is discouraged
as may limit PP yield, introduce potential contamination, and increase separation and waste disposal costs.

PLA attachments are preferred.

As discussed in the sections on labels and closures, PLA sinks in the float-sink tank and can be therefore
removed from the PP. Unlike PVC, small amounts of PLA entering the extrusion process are not catastrophic

PVC attachments are detrimental to recycling. PVC sinks in the float sink tank where the majority of it is
removed from the PP. Because the float sink tank is imperfect and even a very small amount of PVC entering
the extruder causes sever quality and yield problems, this material is detrimental. PVC degrades at PP extrusion
temperatures and renders large amounts of the recycled PP unusable

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene, Resin Identification Code #6)

The light bulk density of expanded polystyrene (EPS) provides outstanding insulation and cushioning and is
frequently used in applications requiring these properties. EPS is most often collected and recycled in a
dedicated, source selected system outside the scope of the APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability such as a
distribution center stream.

EPS is a very recyclable material once the product arrives at the reclaimer. Collection and transportation
challenges should not be confused with processability and reusability of this material.
A limited number of curbside EPS collection systems exist in North America so this material does not currently
meet the collection accessibility criteria established in “APR’s definition of recyclable” or by the FTC
https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-issues-revised-green-
guides/greenguides.pdf Anticipating the development and growth of future EPS recycling programs, the APR
recommends the following guidelines.

BASE POLYMER
The use of postconsumer PS in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and economically
feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled EPS is intended to be used in new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled EPS. Additives designed to
degrade the polymer diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the recycling
process, these additives shorten the useful life of the product made from the RPS as well, possibly compromising
quality and durability.

Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the EPS that includes the additive. These
additives must either separate and be removed from the EPS in the recycling process or have no adverse effects
on future uses. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize
yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs. One test protocol will be developed.

COLOR
Unpigmented or white polymer is preferred.
This material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use applications.
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Light pink or light blue color is preferred.
These colors are common and dilute enough that they don’t significantly affect the color of the recycled
product.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs and
reclaimers is not capable of identifying many dark polymers since the colorant absorbs light and manual sorting
cannot distinguish one dark polymer from another. Some dark shades may be detected by NIR but these must
be tested to determine their sortability. Therefore, dark packaging is considered a contaminant for nearly all
reclaimers.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film
or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at Least 2 Dimensions Less than 2
Inches

EPS AND PS PACKAGING 54 of 74

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Updated 10-26-18
Items greater than two gallons in volume are detrimental to recycling.
Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polypropylene and polyethylene closures are detrimental to recycling.
Although the polymer is heavier than water, EPS floats in water due to the air entrapped in the structure. PE
and PP float as well so they are not separated by conventional density separation methods. PE and PP therefore,
remain with the EPS until the extrusion process. Contaminates that remain until the extrusion process are
filtered from the PS if they remain solid at PS processing temperatures. PE and PP are liquid at these
temperatures and are not removed.

The use of PVC closures renders the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Float sink tanks are not perfect machines. Even though PVC sinks and the EPS floats small amounts of PVC travel
with the EPS. The recycled EPS stream is very intolerable to even minute amounts of PVC since it degrades
quickly at EPS processing temperatures, erodes machinery and creates a safety risk. Small pieces of PVC render
large amounts of the finished product unusable.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Some EPS recycling processes do not remove adhesive. The adhesive travels through the process with the PS
and is blended in the final product. The most recyclable packages use the lowest quantity of adhesive that is
compatible with PS. Lower adhesive usage reduces processing cost and potential contamination risk.

Polystyrene labels are preferred.

PS is the same material as the package so the label will behave like the package and be recycled along with it
creating no added contamination or yield loss.

Direct printing on EPS is preferred.

Most direct print inks withstand the standard EPS recycling process and remain on the package. Since no
adhesive is used and the weight percent of label is extremely low compared to alternative labeling, they add
little contamination to the final product.

High melting temperature plastic labels such as PET are preferred.

These labels sink in the float sink tank if one is employed and remain solid in the PS extruder so they can be
removed through filtering.

Metal foil labels are detrimental to recycling.

Metal detectors are employed in the recycling process to protect machinery. Even thin metal foil labels may be
identified by detectors and cause the entire package to be rejected as waste, thereby creating yield loss. If not
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detected, they pass through the process with the PS and cause contamination in the extrusion process. Since
they remain solid in the extrusion process they can be filtered from the melted polymer which is advantageous
over other materials that melt.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling.

Most paper labels remain on the package during the washing phase of the recycling process and enter the
extruder with the PS. Paper degrades in the extruder emitting a burnt smell into the plastic that cannot be
removed. Most of the paper can be filtered from melted PS but the smell and small individual fibers remain.

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels are detrimental to recycling.

Like most labels, PP and PE labels remain on the package during the washing phase of the recycling process and
enter the extruder with the PS. Both PE and PP are liquid at the operating temperatures of the PS extruder and
cannot be removed by a filter. They contaminate the final PS.

PVC labels render the package unrecyclable per APR.

This material is extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to its similarity in density to PS.
Furthermore, it degrades in the extruder rendering large sections of PS unusable.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Most adhesives will remain on the package during the EPS washing process and enter the extruder with the PS.
Adhesives should either remain solid so they can be melt filtered from the PS or be compatible with PS.

ATTACHMENTS
Clear PS attachments affixed to EPS containers are preferred.
Attachments made of the base polymer cause no contamination.

Non-PS attachments such as handles require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
These should not be adhesively bonded to the package and should readily separate from the package when
ground. They should be made from materials that sink in water such as filled PP/HDPE, or PET. If adhesives are
used to affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria within this document.

Metal and metal containing attachments are detrimental to recycling.

Metal attachments to EPS are either detected by metal detectors at the beginning of the recycling process and
cause the entire section to be rejected or they enter the process with the EPS where they wear and damage
machinery before being separated in the float-sink tank. If they stay attached to the material, they can be
floated into downstream equipment with the EPS and damage the machinery.

Welded attachments are detrimental to recycling.

A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the main polymer in the recycling process.
These attachments, even when ground and made of floatable materials, cause contamination and yield loss
issues in both cases: when the EPS they are attached to causes the ground section containing both polymers to
float, or when the ground section floats.
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RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
Unless they are compatible with EPS recycling and are demonstrated not to create any disposal issues based on
their material content, the use of RFID’s is discouraged as it limits yield, introduces potential contamination, and
increases separation costs.

PVC attachments of any kind render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
The use of PVC attachments of any kind on EPS packaging is undesirable and should be avoided. Even though
PVC sinks, the recycled EPS stream is very intolerable to even minute amounts of PVC since it degrades quite
easily and renders large sections of the finished product unusable.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use of the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
PS (Polystyrene, Resin Identification Code #6)

Polystyrene is typically used in applications requiring its stiffness, resistance to cracking, and ease of
modification. This section of the design® guide applies to rigid PS. Expanded PS (EPS) is addressed in its own
dedicated section.

A limited number of curbside PS collection systems exist in North America so this material does not currently
meet the collection accessibility criteria established in “APR’s definition of recyclable” or by the FTC
https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-issues-revised-green-
guides/greenguides.pdf Anticipating the development and growth of future PS recycling programs, the APR
recommends the following guidelines:

BASE POLYMER
The use of postconsumer PS in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and economically
feasible.

BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

Non-PS layers and coatings require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The use of non-PS layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PS if not implemented according to APR
test protocols. Layers and coatings must either separate and be removed from the container wall in the
recycling process or have no adverse effects on the polymer in future uses. When used, their content should be
minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce
separation costs.

Test Protocol: TBD

Degradable additives (photo, oxo, or bio) require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Recycled PS is intended to be used in new products. The new products are engineered to meet
particular quality and durability standards given properties of typical recycled PS. Additives designed to degrade
the polymer diminish the life of the material in the primary use. If not removed in the recycling process, these
additives shorten the useful life of the product made from the RPS as well, possibly compromising quality and
durability.

Degradable additives should not be used without testing to demonstrate that their inclusion will not materially
impair the full-service life and properties of any product made from the RPS that includes the additive. These
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additives must either separate and be removed from the PS in the recycling process or have no adverse effects
on future uses. When used, their content should be minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize
yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce separation costs.

Test protocol TBD

Additives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Additives such as de-nesting, anti-static, anti-blocking, anti-fogging,
anti-slip, UV barrier, stabilizer and heat receptor agents and lubricants should be tested to determine their
compatibility with recycling. Of particular concern are additives which cause the polymer to discolor or haze
after remelting since recycled material with poor haze or discoloration is greatly devalued and has limited
markets. This is particularly troublesome since it is difficult to identify material with this effect until extremely
late in the recycling process where a great deal of added cost has been imparted into the material.

Test protocol: TBD

Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.

Like many other additives, optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an
unacceptable fluorescence for next uses of the recycled polymer containing the brighteners. It is difficult to
identify material with this negative effect until extremely late in the recycling process where a great deal of
added cost has been imparted into a material of low value due to the additive.

COLOR
Clear unpigmented polymer is preferred.
Clear material has the highest value as a recycled stream since it has the widest variety of end-use applications.
It is the most cost effective to process through the recycling system.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRFs and
reclaimers is not capable of identifying many dark polymers since the colorant absorbs light and manual sorting
cannot distinguish one dark polymer from another. Some dark shades may be detected by NIR but these must
be tested to determine their sortability. Other separation techniques such as float-sink cannot be employed
since many polymers sink with PS. Therefore, dark packaging is considered a contaminant for nearly all
reclaimers.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article.

DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
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similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is uninstalled in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film
or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at Least 2 Dimensions Less than 2”

Items greater than two gallons in volume are detrimental to recycling.

Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Larger containers jam the systems. Most MRFs employ manual sortation before the automatic line
to remove the large items. These items are recovered, but most likely baled with a mixed stream of bulky rigid
containers and are not normally sorted by polymer at the MRF. Some MRFs may not recover items picked in the
pre-sort.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

Polypropylene and polyethylene closures are preferred.
Since these polymers float, they are most easily separated from the bottle in conventional separation systems.
Additionally, the PS recycling process captures floatable polyethylene and polypropylene to create an ancillary
stream of marketable material. Care must be taken when modifying the polyethylene or polypropylene to
ensure the modifier does not increase the overall density to the point it sinks. Note that these are not removed
in the combined recycling process but, instead become a contaminate. Minimizing closure size is advantageous
to both processes.

Closure systems without liners are preferred.

Due to size and thickness, most liners are lost in the recycling process thereby slightly decreasing yield. Closures
without liners do not experience this loss.
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EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.
Both EVA and TPE float in water and will be separated in the recycling process with the floatable polyethylene
and polypropylene. Since EVA and TPE are compatible with these polymers, and in fact enhance their
properties, they are preferred.

Closures containing metal or metal foils require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. Metal is difficult to separate from PS compared to the preferred closure systems (polypropylene and
polyethylene) and adds both capital and operating costs to conventional reclamation processes. Even a small
amount of metal left in the recycled polymer stream will block extruder screens in remanufacturing. Large
metal items attached to PS packages may cause the package to be directed to the metal or waste stream in the
recycling process, causing yield loss. Small metal components such as spray dispenser springs unravel in the
recycling process and blind screens, adding significant cost for removal at the end of the process.

Screening Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized, or Metallic
Printed Components

Closures made from thermoset plastics are detrimental to recycling.

These materials are heavier than water and sink in the float-sink tank with PS/PLA. They are extremely difficult
to separate from the recycled polymer flake, requiring a costly and inexact polymer flake sorter currently not
installed in many reclaiming operations.

Closures containing silicone polymer are detrimental to recycling.

Silicone generally sinks in the float-sink tank with the PS/PLA and is difficult to remove with other methods,
thereby causing contamination in the final product.

The use of PVC closures or closure liners render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
PVC sinks and is extremely hard for the recycler to remove. The recycled PS stream is very intolerable to even
minute amounts of PVC since it degrades quite easily.

LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Removing adhesives is a significant component to the cost of recycling. The most recyclable packages use the
lowest quantity of recycle-friendly adhesive. Lower adhesive usage reduces processing cost and potential
contamination risk.

Polypropylene or polyethylene labels with a specific gravity less than 0.95 are preferred.
These materials float in water so they are separated from the PS in the float-sink tank with the closures. Since
they are the same general polymer as most of the closures they do not contaminate or devalue this stream.
Care should be taken to ensure that any modifiers to the label material do not increase its density above 0.95.
Note that these are not removed in the combined recycling process but, instead become a contaminate.
Minimizing label size is advantageous to both processes.

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Laminated labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process
because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over
of delaminated labels into the RPS can result in contamination.

Definitive Test: New Delamination Test *Under Development

Full bottle sleeve labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Full bottle sleeve labels cover a large amount of the bottle surface with a polymer that is not the same as the
bottle body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering recycling may cause a false reading on
an automatic sorter and direct a PS bottle to another material stream where it is lost to the process.
Furthermore, some sleeve label materials cannot be removed in the recycling process and contaminate the RPS
produced. Sleeve labels that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should be selected.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

Pressure sensitive labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Pressure sensitive labels generally require complete adhesive coverage which is greater than other typical label
methods. This raises the importance of the compatibility of the type of adhesive with the recycling process.
Adhesives resistant to washing in the recycling process allow labels to remain on the container and become
contaminants in the final product. Adhesives that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should
be selected.

Screening Test: TBD

Polystyrene labels are preferred for PS Containers.

PS is the same material as the bottle body, so the label will behave like the bottle, and be recycled along with it.

Label structures that sink in water because of the choice of substrate, ink, decoration, coatings, and top layer
require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The reclaimers rely on float-sink systems to separate non-PS materials. Label components that sink with the PS
end up in the recycled polymer stream as contaminants.

High melting temperature plastic labels such as PET are preferred.

These labels sink in the float sink tank if one is employed and remain solid in the PS extruder so they can be
removed through filtering.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling (for pressure sensitive paper labels reference the pressure sensitive
label category. The PS reclamation process involves a hot caustic wash that removes glue and other label
components to the levels required to render the RPS usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions,

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becomes pulp which is very difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and
water treatment systems. Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some
travel with the PS. Paper fibers remaining in the RPS carbonize when the material is heated and re-melted,
causing quality degradation and a burnt smell to the polymer. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the caustic
wash process sink in the float-sink tank, thereby causing RPS contamination. These, although removed when
the polymer is melt filtered, carbonize causing the same effect.

Metal foil, metalized and metallic printed labels require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability
category. Sorting equipment in the recycling process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from PS. Even
very thin metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the entire bottle to be
rejected as waste, thereby creating yield loss. If not detected, they pass through the process with the PS and
cause contamination issues in the final product.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

PVC labels render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.

This material is extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to its similarity in density to PS

PLA labels affixed to PS containers render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
This material is extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to its similarity in density to PS and
cause quality problems for the end product.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Adhesives that wash off cleanly from PS and remain adhered to the label are preferred. Label adhesive that is
not removed from PS, or which re-deposits on the PS during the wash step is a source of contamination and
discoloration when PS is recycled.

The recycling process is designed to remove reasonably expected contamination from the surface of the
container to a degree necessary to render the polymer economically reusable in further applications. In
practice, some adhesives are resistant to this process so are detrimental to recycling. In extreme cases, an
adhesive and label cannot be separated from the PS/PLA and may render a package not recyclable.

Screening Tests: TBT

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the polymer in contact with them and
significantly diminishing its value for recycling. Label inks must be chosen that do not bleed color when tested
under this protocol.

Screening Tests: TBD

*See the definitive test for the appropriate label type

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Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system. Historically, inks used in direct printing tend to bleed or otherwise discolor the polymer during the
recycling process or introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the recycled polymer is
diminished. Some inks used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to
determine its effect.
Screening Test: Bleeding Label Test
Definitive Test: Direct Print Label Test

ATTACHMENTS
Clear PS attachments affixed to PS containers are preferred.
Attachments made of the base polymer are recovered and recycled with the base polymer without causing
contamination or yield loss, thereby generating the highest value.

Tamper evident sleeves and safety seals require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. If tamper resistance is required in specific product applications, it should be an integral design feature
of the bottle. The use of tamper-resistant or tamper-evident sleeves or seals is discouraged as they can act as
contaminants if they do not completely detach from the bottle or are not easily removed in conventional
separation systems. If sleeves or safety seals are used, they should be designed to completely detach from the
bottle, leaving no remains on the bottle. The material used should float and separate from the PS in the float-
sink system.

Screening Test: Labels, Closures and Attachments Floatability Test (with PS substituted for PET in the
test procedures)

Non-PS attachments such as handles require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
These should not be adhesively bonded to the package and should readily separate from the package when
ground. They should be made from materials that float in water such as PP or HDPE. If adhesives are used to
affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria within this document.

Screening Test: Labels, Closures and Attachments Floatability Test (with PS substituted for PET in the
test procedures)

Metal, metalized and metal containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR
recyclability category. Examples include metal foils and metalized substrates that sink in water as well as metal
sprayer balls and springs. In the recycling process these items are either identified and removed along with their
PS component in the early stages, thereby causing yield loss, or they pass into the recycling process causing a
contamination issue. Since they are heavier than water they sink with the PS in the float-sink tank. Many of
these items are too small to be removed with machinery designed to remove metal such as eddy current and
optical separators. Springs in particular unravel and become entangled in filtering screens throughout the
recycling process.

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 Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Paper attachments are detrimental to recycling.

The PS reclamation process uses a hot caustic wash to remove glue and other contaminants to the levels
required to render the RPS usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is very
difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems.
Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the final
polymer. Paper fibers remaining in the RPS carbonize when the material is reused causing quality degradation.

Welded attachments are detrimental to recycling.

A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the main polymer in the recycling process.
These attachments, even when ground and made of floatable materials, cause contamination and yield loss
issues in both cases: when the PS/PLA they are attached to causes the ground section containing both polymers
to sink, or when the ground section floats.

RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
Unless they are compatible with PS/PLA recycling and are demonstrated not to create any disposal issues based
on their material content, the use of RFID’s is discouraged as it limits yield, introduces potential contamination,
and increases separation costs.

PVC attachments of any kind render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
The use of PVC attachments of any kind on PS packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously avoided. This
includes thermoforms of PVC that may be visually confused with PS thermoforms. Very small amounts of PVC
can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PS useless for most recycling applications. In addition,
PVC is very difficult to separate from PS in conventional water-based density separation systems due to similar
densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in these systems.

PLA attachments of any kind affixed to a PS container render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
The use of PLA attachments of any kind on PS packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously avoided. Very
small amounts of PLA can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PS useless for most recycling
applications. In addition, PLA is very difficult to separate from PS in conventional water-based density
separation systems due to similar densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in these systems.

POSTCONSUMER CONTENT
The use of postconsumer PS in all packages is encouraged to the maximum amount technically and economically
feasible.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

Use the correct Resin Identification Code symbol of the proper size as detailed in ASTM D7611 is encouraged.

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 APR Design® Guide for Plastics Recyclability
for
PLA (Polylactic Acid)

BACKGROUND: Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of several structures and polymers using resin identification
code (RIC) #7. PLA is typically used in applications requiring stiffness, resistance to cracking, clarity and ease of
modification. It is easily formed into sheet and is thermoformable. PLA is often chosen as a packaging material
because it is made from renewable resources and is compostable in an industrial composting facility. PLA
properties can be enhanced with colorants, impact modifiers, and other additives. Each modification to base
PLA must be considered for its effect on the recycling stream. This section of the Design® Guide applies to rigid
PLA.

At this time, PLA collection systems are limited in North America so this material does not currently meet the
collection accessibility criteria established in “APR’s definition of recyclable” or by the FTC
https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-issues-revised-green-
guides/greenguides.pdf . Anticipating the development and growth of future PLA recycling programs,
however, the APR recommends the following guidelines.

BASE POLYMER

The use of postconsumer PLA content is preferred.

Depending on the application, a blended recipe of post-consumer and post-industrial PLA is encouraged for
products up to the maximum amount technically and economically feasible.

PLA and PLA resin variants which have a crystalline melting point between 140oC and 170oC are preferred.
Flake from thermoformed parts, trim scrap, or cast sheet is amorphous. Flake from oriented film or oriented
sheet will be a mixture of amorphous or crystalline fractions, while fibers like staple or spunbond are crystalline.
Amorphous PLA flake requires drying at low temperatures (43-55oC) to prevent sticking in dryers. It is the
process, the shape and degree of crystallinity, and the percentage of regrind that will determine if the recycled
PLA material will need to be pre-crystallized prior to drying and melt extrusion. Recycling crystalline PLA
material allows drying at temperatures in the range of 65-85oC. Non--crystallized resin and material with a
lower melt point may become sticky in the reclaimer’s pre-extrusion dryer and could prevent the material from
flowing through the process. Contaminant materials of a higher melting point remain solid in the reclaimers’
extruder, catch on and may cause blockages in melt screens and contamination in the final product.

The density of PLA is 1.24 g/cm3 and so it sinks in water.

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BARRIER LAYERS, COATINGS & ADDITIVES

Non-PLA layers and coatings require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
The use of non-PLA layers and coatings can be detrimental to recycling of PLA if not implemented according to
APR test protocols. Layers and coatings must either separate and be removed from the container wall in the
recycling process or have no adverse effects on the polymer in future uses. When used, their content should be
minimized to the greatest extent possible to maximize yield, limit potential contamination, and reduce
separation costs.

Test protocol: TBD

Additives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

The APR recognizes that other types of additives may be required for the performance of a particular package
but are not addressed in this document. Additives such as de-nesting, anti-static, anti-blocking, anti-fogging,
anti-slip, UV barrier, impact modifiers, stabilizer and heat receptor agents and lubricants should be tested to
determine their compatibility with recycling.

Test protocol: TBD

Optical brighteners are detrimental to recycling.

Like many other additives, optical brighteners are not removed in the recycling process and can create an
unacceptable fluorescence for next uses of the recycled polymer containing the brighteners. It is difficult to
identify material with this negative effect until extremely late in the recycling process where a great deal of
added cost has been imparted into a material of low value due to the additive.

COLOR

All non-dark colors are preferred.

As PLA recovery and recycling is in an early development stage and clear packaging applications are not an initial
target for recycled PLA, there is a wider tolerance for pigmented polymer than if a clear packaging application
was being pursued for this material. However, lighter colors will have more value and a compatibility with a
wider variety of end uses.

Colors with an L value less than 40 or an NIR reflectance less than or equal to 10 percent require testing to
determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
NIR (near-infrared) sorting technology used in MRF’s and reclaimers is not capable of identifying many dark
polymers because the colorant absorbs light and manual sorting cannot distinguish one dark polymer from
another. Some dark shades may be detected by NIR but these must be tested to determine their sorting
potential. Other separation techniques such as float-sink cannot be employed since many dark polymers sink
with PLA. Therefore, dark packaging is considered a contaminant.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a Whole Plastic Article

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DIMENSIONS
Size and shape are critical parameters in MRF sorting, and this must be considered in designing packages for
recycling. The MRF process separates items by size and shape first, then by material. Screens direct paper, and
similar two-dimensional lightweight items, into one stream; containers and similar three-dimensional heavier
items into another steam; while broken glass and smaller but heavy items are allowed to drop by gravity to yet
another stream, which may or may not be further sorted. Large, bulky items are typically manually sorted on
the front of the MRF process.

Items more two-dimensional than three-dimensional render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
Aside from not being captured in the plastic stream, they cause contamination in the paper stream. Items
should have a minimum depth of two inches in order to create a three-dimensional shape for proper sorting.
This issue is unrelated to the polymer type. The APR encourages and anticipates developments in MRF design
and technology to improve capture and recovery of thin plastics; however, at the current time this technology
either does not exist or is not yet installed in the majority of MRFs.

Items smaller than 2 inches in 2 dimensions require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category. The industry standard screen size loses materials less than three inches to a non-plastics stream,
causing contamination in that stream, or directly to waste. These small packages are lost to the plastic recycling
stream. It is possible that some small containers travel with larger ones when either the screens wrap with film
or they are operated above their design capacity. Film wrapping reduces the effective size of the screen and
over-running provides a cushion of large items on which the smaller items travel. The design guidelines use
clean screens operating at their design capacity for the determination of the recyclability category. The APR
anticipates and encourages technology development to improve the process of small package recovery but
currently these items are not recovered.

Test Protocol: Evaluation of Size Sorting Potential for Articles with at least Two Dimensions less than 2
inches

Items greater than two gallons in volume are detrimental to recycling.

Recycling machinery, particularly automatic sorting equipment, is not large enough to accept items larger than
two gallons. Because larger containers jam the systems, most MRFs employ manual sortation before the
automatic line to remove the large items. These items are recovered in a stream of bulky rigid containers that
are sold and processed as polyethylene since the vast majority of bulky rigid items are comprised of this
polymer. Other polymers either negatively affect or are lost by the polyethylene processing.

CLOSURES & DISPENSERS

PLA closures are preferred.

Since these are the same material as the target polymer they will be recycled with it and add to the material
yield.

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Polypropylene and polyethylene closures are preferred.
Because these polymers float, they are most easily separated from the container in conventional separation
systems. Additionally, the PLA recycling process may capture floatable polyethylene and polypropylene to
create an ancillary stream of marketable material. Care must be taken when modifying the polyethylene or
polypropylene to ensure the modifier does not increase the overall density to the point that it sinks.

Closure systems without liners are preferred.

Due to size and thickness, most liners are lost in the recycling process thereby slightly decreasing yield. Closures
without liners do not experience this loss.

EVA and TPE liners in plastic closures are preferred.

Both EVA and TPE float in water and will be separated in the recycling process with the floatable polyethylene
and polypropylene. Since EVA and TPE are compatible with these polymers, and in fact enhance their
properties, they are preferred.

Closures containing metal or metal foils require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category.
Metal is difficult to separate from PLA and adds both capital and operating costs to conventional reclamation
processes. Even a small amount of metal left in the recycled PLA stream will block extruder screens in
remanufacturing. Large metal items attached to PLA packages may cause the package to be directed to the
metal or waste stream in the recycling process, causing yield loss. Small metal components such as spray
dispenser springs unravel in the recycling process and blind screens, adding significant cost for removal at the
end of the process.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential of Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components
Definitive Test: Closure Test

Closures made from thermoset plastics are detrimental to recycling.

These materials are heavier than water and sink in the float-sink tank with PLA. They are extremely difficult to
separate from the recycled polymer flake, requiring a costly and inexact polymer flake sorter currently not
envisioned in the PLA reclaiming operation.

PET closures render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.

PET sinks in the float-sink tank with the PLA and is difficult to remove with other methods, thereby causing
contamination in the final product. The recycled PLA process is very intolerable to even minute amounts of PET.

Closures containing silicone polymer are detrimental to recycling.

Silicone generally sinks in the float-sink tank with the PLA and is difficult to remove with other methods, thereby
causing contamination in the final product.

The use of PVC closures or closure liners render the package non-recyclable per APR definition.
PVC sinks and is extremely hard for the recycler to remove. The recycled PLA stream is very intolerable to even
minute amounts of PVC.

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LABELS, INKS AND ADHESIVES

Removing adhesives is a significant component to the cost of recycling. The most recyclable packages use the
lowest quantity of recycle-friendly adhesive. Lower adhesive usage reduces processing cost and potential
contamination risk.

PLA labels are preferred.

Since these are the same material as the target polymer they will be recycled with it and add to the material
yield.

PP or PE labels are preferred.

If a PLA label is not available or suitable, then PP or PE labels are preferred since they float in water and
separated from the PLA in the float-sink tank with the closures. Since they are the same general polymer as
most of the closures they do not contaminate or devalue this stream. Care should be taken to ensure that any
modifiers to the label material do not increase its density above 0.95. Minimizing label size is advantageous to
both processes.

Laminated labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Labels that break into small, very thin pieces of material are more difficult to manage in the recycling process
because they behave erratically in a float-sink tank. Therefore, labels that stay intact are preferred. Carry-over
of delaminated labels into the recycled PLA can result in contamination.

Test: TBD

Full container sleeve labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. Full
container sleeve labels cover a large amount of the container surface with a polymer that is not the same as the
container body. Because of this, a sleeve label designed without considering recycling may cause a false reading
on an automatic sorter and direct a PLA container to another material stream where it is lost to the process.
Furthermore, some sleeve label materials cannot be removed in the recycling process and contaminate the RPLA
produced. Sleeve labels that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should be selected.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of the Near Infrared (NIR) Sorting Potential of a whole Plastic Article

Pressure sensitive labels require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category. Pressure
sensitive labels generally require complete adhesive coverage which is greater than other typical label methods.
This raises the importance of the compatibility of the type of adhesive with the recycling process. Adhesives
resistant to washing in the recycling process allow labels to remain on the container and become contaminants
in the final product. Adhesives that have been found compliant with the APR test protocols should be selected.

Test: TBD

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Label structures that sink in water because of the choice of substrate, ink, decoration, coatings, and top layer
require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Label components that sink with the PLA end up in the recycled polymer stream as contaminants.

Test: TBD

High melting temperature plastic labels that sink in water are detrimental to recycling.
High temperature melting plastic labels sink in the float sink tank remain solid in the PLA extruder. Such plastic
labels are considered a contaminant to the RPLA stream and should be avoided. The recycled PLA process is very
intolerable to even minute amounts of PET.

Paper labels are detrimental to recycling.

The PLA reclamation process may involve a wash that removes glue and other label components to the levels
required to render the RPLA usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is very
difficult to filter from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems.
Individual paper fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the PLA. Paper
fibers remaining in the RPLA carbonize when the material is heated and re-melted, causing quality degradation
and a burnt smell to the polymer. Paper fibers could also cause quality issues, such as non-melted particles in
the melt stream and final article. Non-pulping paper labels that resist the wash process sink in the float-sink
tank, thereby causing RPLA contamination. These, although removed when the polymer is melt filtered,
carbonize causing the same effect. (For pressure sensitive paper labels reference the pressure sensitive label
category).

Metal foil, metalized and metallic printed labels require testing to determine the appropriate recyclability
category.
Sorting equipment in the recycling process is designed to detect and eliminate metal from PLA. Even very thin
metallized labels may be identified as metal by the sorting equipment and cause the entire package to be
rejected as waste, thereby creating yield loss. If not detected, they pass through the process with the PLA and
cause contamination issues in the final product.

Benchmark test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential for Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

PVC labels render the package unrecyclable per APR.

This material is extremely difficult to remove in the recycling process due to its similarity in density to PLA. The
recycled PLA process is very intolerable to even minute amounts of PVC.

Adhesives require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.

Adhesives that wash off cleanly from PLA and remain adhered to the label are preferred. Label adhesive that is
not removed from PLA, or which re-deposits on the PLA during the wash step, is a source of contamination and
discoloration when PLA is recycled.

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The recycling process is designed to remove reasonably expected contamination from the surface of the
container to a degree necessary to render the polymer economically reusable in further applications. In
practice, some adhesives are resistant to this process so are detrimental to recycling. In extreme cases, an
adhesive and label cannot be separated from the PLA and may render a package not recyclable.

Test: TBD

Label inks require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability category.
Some label inks bleed color in the reclamation process, discoloring the polymer in contact with them and may
diminish its value for recycling. Label inks must be chosen that do not bleed color when tested under this
protocol.

Test: TBD

Direct printing other than date coding requires testing to determine its compatibility with the recycling
system.
Historically, inks used in direct printing tend to bleed or otherwise discolor the polymer during the recycling
process or introduce incompatible contaminants. In either case, the value of the recycled polymer may be
diminished. Some inks used in direct printing do not cause these problems. The specific ink must be tested to
determine its effect.

Test: TBD

ATTACHMENTS

PLA attachments affixed to PLA containers are preferred.

Attachments made of the base polymer are recovered and recycled with the base polymer without causing
contamination or yield loss, thereby generating the highest value.

Tamper evident sleeves and safety seals require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category.
If tamper resistance is required in specific product applications, it should be an integral design feature of the
container. Unless the tamper sleeve is made of PLA, the use of tamper-resistant or tamper-evident sleeves or
seals is discouraged as they can act as contaminants if they do not completely detach from the container or are
not easily removed in conventional separation systems. If non-PLA sleeves or safety seals are used, they should
be designed to completely detach from the container, leaving no remains on the bottle. The material used
should float and separate from the PLA in the float-sink system.

Test: TBD

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Non-PLA attachments such as handles require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category.
These should not be adhesively bonded to the package and should readily separate from the package when
ground. They should be made from materials that float in water such as PP or HDPE. If adhesives are used to
affix attachments, their selection should consider the adhesive criteria within this document.

Test: TBD

Metal and metal containing attachments require testing to determine the appropriate APR recyclability
category.
Examples include metal foils and metalized substrates that sink in water. In the recycling process these items
are either identified and removed along with their PLA component in the early stages, thereby causing yield loss,
or they pass into the recycling process causing a contamination issue. Since they are heavier than water they
sink with the PLA in the float-sink tank. Many of these items are too small to be removed with machinery
designed to remove metal such as eddy current and optical separators.

Benchmark Test: Evaluation of Sorting Potential of Plastic Articles Utilizing Metal, Metalized or Metallic
Printed Components

Paper attachments are detrimental to recycling.

The PLA reclamation process may use a wash to remove glue and other contaminants to the levels required to
render the RPLA usable. Paper, when subjected to these conditions, becomes pulp which is very difficult to filter
from the liquid, thereby adding significant load to the filtering and water treatment systems. Individual paper
fibers making up pulp are very small and difficult to remove so some travel with the final polymer. Paper fibers
remaining in the RPLA carbonize when the material is reused causing quality degradation.

Welded attachments are detrimental to recycling.

A certain amount of a welded attachment cannot be separated from the main polymer in the recycling process.
These attachments, even when ground and made of floatable materials, cause contamination and yield loss
issues in both cases: when the PLA they are attached to causes the ground section containing both polymers to
sink, or when the ground section floats.

RFID’s (radio frequency identification devices) on packages, labels or closures are detrimental to recycling.
Unless they are compatible with PLA recycling and are demonstrated not to create any disposal issues based on
their material content, the use of RFID’s is discouraged as it limits yield, introduces potential contamination, and
increases separation costs.

PVC attachments of any kind render the package non-recyclable per APR.
The use of PVC attachments of any kind on PLA packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously avoided.
This includes thermoforms of PVC that may be visually confused with PLA thermoforms. Very small amounts of
PVC can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PLA useless for most recycling applications. In

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addition, PVC is very difficult to separate from PLA in conventional water-based density separation systems due
to similar densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in these systems.

PET attachments of any kind affixed to a PLA container render the package non-recyclable per APR. The use
of PET attachments of any kind on PLA packaging is undesirable and should be scrupulously avoided. Very small
amounts of PET can severely contaminate and render large amounts of PLA useless for most recycling
applications. In addition, PET is very difficult to separate from PLA in conventional water-based density
separation systems due to similar densities (densities greater than 1.0) that cause both to sink in these systems.

RESIN IDENTIFICATION CODE, RIC

PLA currently falls under the #7 category in the Resin Identification Code. In addition to the #7
appearing on the package, the letters “PLA” are encouraged to help in identifying PLA in the mixed
plastics recycling stream. The symbol and lettering should be of the proper size as detailed in ASTM
D7611 is encouraged.

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