Agricultural Film Recycling & Washing Solution

Agricultural film waste mainly includes mulching films and greenhouse films.

Mulching films are typically made of PE (polyethylene), while greenhouse films may consist of PE, EVA, or PVC.

During the recycling process, it is essential to separate PE and PVC films beforehand.

These two materials have different melting points and chemical properties, and mixing them can negatively affect the quality and safety of the final recycled product.

Single-material film waste allows for the production of high-quality recycled pellets with broader application potential.

 However, if mixed materials enter the washing and recycling line without prior sorting, it becomes difficult to separate them later in the process, resulting in lower-value recycled pellets.

Key Challenges in Agricultural Film Recycling

1. High Levels of Contamination – Causes Severe Equipment Wear： Agricultural film waste typically contains large amounts of soil, sand, plant roots, rice husks, and pesticide residues. These contaminants significantly increase the difficulty of cleaning and can damage equipment over time, while also causing serious water pollution during washing.   2. Low Efficiency and High Cost of Manual Pre-treatment： Manual cutting and sorting of agricultural films is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. In addition, the process poses safety risks for operators due to the heavy workload and inconsistent film quality. These challenges highlight the urgent need for a dedicated and automated pre-treatment system to improve overall efficiency and safety.

Common Types of Agricultural Films and Their Recycling Differences

Different types of agricultural films (mulch film, greenhouse film, drip irrigation film) vary significantly in thickness, contamination level, and structural characteristics. Therefore, targeted treatment during recycling is necessary to improve recycling efficiency and reduce equipment wear.

Mulch Film Common Application: Used primarily for crop fields covering Key Characteristics: Highest contamination, containing large amounts of soil, grass entanglement Mostly black color：Thin and prone to tearing, making mechanical processing challenging Recycling Capacity Reference:For bale feedstock at 2000 kg/h, the final output is about 1600 kg (including unrecoverable contaminants and recycling loss) Recycling Focus: Requires intensive pretreatment, enhanced washing, and impurity removal to reduce downstream equipment wear

Greenhouse Film Common Application: Used for an agricultural greenhouse covering Key Characteristics: Large film size, thicker than mulch film Lower contamination level with fewer impurities：Mostly white, good toughness, and higher mechanical strength Recycling Capacity Reference:For bale feedstock at 2000 kg/h, the final output is about 1800 kg (including unrecoverable contaminants and recycling loss) Recycling Focus: Relatively simple washing process, emphasizing film integrity and high recovery rate

Agricultural Film Recycling Process Flowchart & Equipment Recommendation

[1. Coarse Pre-treatment (Optional)] ---> [2. Impurity Removal (Optional)] ---> [3. Fine Crushing] ---> [4. Flotation & Separation] ---> [5. Friction Washing (Optional)] ---> [6. Hot Washing (Optional)] ---> [7. Dewatering & Drying] ---> [8. Semi-plasticizing (Optional)] ---> [9. Storage & Packaging]

Uses and Market for Recycled Agricultural Film

Recycled agricultural film is generally processed through washing lines and pelletizing machines to meet downstream production needs. Simply washed film flakes occupy large storage space, and the packaging, compression, and transportation costs are higher compared to directly pelletizing the material. Therefore, pelletizing is the preferred option.

1. Conventional Low-End Plastic Products

Due to the lower purity and physical properties compared to virgin materials, recycled agricultural film is mainly used for products with less demanding material requirements, such as:

Garbage Bags

Reused Agricultural Film

Plastic Pallets

Plastic Pipes (e.g., irrigation pipes)

Ground Protection Film (e.g., construction membranes)

Plastic Woven Bags (partial components)

Characteristics: These products require lower strength and transparency, making them well-suited for recycled materials.

2. Road Construction and Building Applications

Some deeply processed recycled agricultural film can be used as:

Reinforcement materials in asphalt pavement (similar to scrap tire applications)

Waterproof and moisture-proof layers in buildings

Geotextile membranes

Characteristics: These applications focus more on large material volume, low cost, and environmental benefits, with lower requirements for plastic purity compared to industrial products.

3. Modified Plastics Additives

The highest value-added use of recycled pellets is as additives for modified plastics, mixed into new plastic formulations to manufacture modified plastics, such as:

Filled plastics

Engineering plastic substrates (low-end applications)

Effect: Mixing recycled material can improve certain properties and expand the scope of use, increasing economic value.