STUTTGART, ARK. - The natural extension of making agricultural irrigation pipe from post-consumer low density polyethylene is to recycle scrap from the production process. Joe Alexander, sales manager of Delta Poly Plastic Inc. of Stutt-gart, said that is exactly what his company will do by the end of October.
Alexander said the company is adding new equipment to its plant to wash, grind and extrude its LDPE material, and to sell the regrind it does not need.
``We have about 4 million pounds of scrap piled up waiting to get started,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``We're also trying to set up a continuing supply of scrap.''
Most of the material Delta will recycle will come from its own or similar products. The company makes LDPE tubing used for agricultural irrigation. It is a blend of virgin and recycled LDPE. Delta also grinds and extrudes about 40,000 pounds per month of high-impact polystyrene, primarily from post-industrial regrind.
``By recycling our own materials, we should be able to enhance our own production and sell some material to others.'' he said.
