When you send plastic scrap to a recycler like AP&J, it is sorted by resin, shredded if it’s large or bulky, and then ground into small, uniform pieces called regrind. That regrind is checked for contamination and consistency and goes back to molders and compounders as raw material. With toll processing, you keep ownership of the material: you send us your scrap, we grind it to the spec you need and return it to you to run again.
Key takeaways
- Shredding breaks big or awkward items into rough chunks; grinding turns those chunks or smaller scrap into even regrind.
- Regrind quality depends mostly on sorting: one resin, no metal or paper, consistent particle size.
- Toll processing means you pay for the service and get your own material back, ready to feed into production.
- Selling scrap outright makes sense when you can’t reuse it in-house; toll processing makes sense when you can.
- Shredding is also how unsellable branded product is destroyed so it can’t return to the market.
What happens to plastic scrap after it leaves your plant
Plastic scrap from a production floor comes in every shape: purge blocks, runners, trim, short shots, rejected parts, obsolete product, pallets and totes. None of it can be fed into a molding machine as is. The job of a plastics recycler is to turn that mix of sizes and shapes into a material a machine can actually use, without letting different resins or trash get into it along the way.
At our Fort Worth facility, the work happens in this order.
1. Receiving and sorting
Each load is checked when it comes in. We look at the resin type and grade, color and condition, and pull out anything that doesn’t belong, such as metal inserts, paper labels, tape, wood from pallets or general trash. Different plastics melt at different temperatures and don’t blend well, so keeping HDPE, polypropylene and other resins apart at this stage protects the value of the whole batch.
2. Shredding
Large or thick items go to the shredder first. A shredder uses slow, high-torque rotating blades to tear purge blocks, heavy molded parts, pipe and plastic pallets into rough chunks. The pieces are still uneven, but they are now small enough to handle, inspect and feed into a grinder.
3. Grinding
A grinder, or granulator, runs at higher speed and cuts material against fixed knives until it is small enough to pass through a screen. The screen size sets the size of the finished regrind. Smaller, uniform pieces feed evenly through a hopper and melt at the same rate, which is what a molder needs for steady cycle times and good parts. Scrap that’s already small, like runners and trim, can often skip shredding and go straight to the grinder.
4. Quality checks
Before regrind leaves the building it should be consistent in particle size and color, with no fines, metal or other resins mixed in. Inconsistent regrind causes feeding problems, wears equipment and shows up as defects in finished parts, so this step decides whether the material is genuinely useful or just smaller garbage.
5. Back into production
The finished regrind is either sold into molding and compounding markets or, under a toll agreement, returned to the company that sent it. Some molders run regrind blended with virgin resin, while others can run it at a high percentage on parts where color and properties allow. If you need pellets rather than regrind, we can arrange pelletizing.
Shredding vs. grinding at a glance
| Shredding | Grinding | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Breaks large items into rough chunks | Cuts material into small, uniform regrind |
| Typical input | Purge blocks, pallets, pipe, thick-walled parts, boxed product | Runners, trim, rejected parts, shredded chunks |
| Output size | Irregular and large | Set by the grinder screen, consistent |
| Main purpose | Make material manageable; destroy product | Make material ready to mold or compound |
What toll processing is and how it works
Toll processing is a service arrangement. Instead of selling your scrap, you pay a processor to convert it for you and send it back. The material stays yours from start to finish. It’s a common setup for companies that make a lot of scrap of one resin but don’t want to buy, run and maintain their own grinding equipment.
A typical toll job runs like this:
- We talk through the material: resin, grade, color, how it’s packed and how much you have.
- We agree on what you need back, such as regrind size and how it should be packaged for your line.
- You ship the scrap to us, or we pick it up.
- We sort, shred if needed, and grind it, keeping your material separate from everyone else’s.
- The finished regrind comes back to you ready to feed into production.
We price toll jobs by the pound, and the rate depends on the material and the volume, so we quote each job once we know what’s coming.
Selling your scrap vs. toll processing
Both options keep plastic out of the landfill. The right one depends on whether you can use the material again yourself.
| Sell the scrap | Toll processing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the material afterward | The recycler | You |
| Money flow | Scrap may have value to you, depending on resin and condition | You pay a processing fee and save on virgin resin |
| Best for | Scrap you can’t reuse, mixed colors, low volumes | Steady volume of one resin you can run again |
| What you get back | Nothing to manage | Regrind to feed into your own line |
Some plants do both: toll process the scrap they can run again and sell the rest. AP&J buys and sells plastic scrap as well as toll processing, so we can help you sort out which material belongs in which pile. If you want that loop formalized, we also set up full circle recycle programs.
Shredding for product destruction
Shredding has a second use. When a brand has obsolete packaging, discontinued items, off-spec product or recalled goods, it often needs proof that those goods won’t turn up for resale. Shredding makes the product unusable, and the plastic can often still be recovered afterward instead of landfilled. Our product destruction service handles this for manufacturers, distributors and retailers, with a certificate of destruction for your records.
How to get better value from your scrap
The cleaner and better sorted the scrap is when it leaves your plant, the more useful the regrind will be. A few habits make a real difference:
- Keep each resin in its own labeled gaylord or bin, and keep colors apart where you can.
- Keep trash, tape, metal and wood out of plastic containers.
- Store scrap indoors or covered so it stays clean and dry.
- Write down the resin, grade and color on each container.
For the bigger picture of how plant scrap moves through recycling, see what industrial plastic recycling is and how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What is regrind?
Regrind is plastic scrap that has been ground into small, roughly uniform pieces so it can be fed back into molding or compounding equipment. It is usually used blended with virgin resin, or on its own for parts where that works.
What plastics can be ground?
Most thermoplastics can be shredded and ground, including HDPE, polypropylene, LDPE, PET and ABS. AP&J runs HDPE and polypropylene most, and also takes LDPE, PET, ABS and other resins. Email a description or photos to jeanette@apjrecycling.com and we’ll tell you what we can take.
Do I keep ownership of my material during toll processing?
Yes. That’s the defining feature of toll processing. You send us your scrap, we process it to an agreed spec and it comes back to you.
Is toll processing only for large manufacturers?
No. It works for any company that produces a steady stream of one resin and can run regrind in its own process. The volume needed to make it worthwhile depends on the material, so it’s worth a quick call to find out.
If you have plastic scrap piling up or want your own material back as regrind, call AP&J at (682) 841-1303 or reach us through our contact form.
