Plastic Recycling – Myplas USA Inc., Rogers, Minnesota

In Rogers, Minnesota, the film sorting line of the new plastic recycling plant has recently been completed for Myplas USA Inc., the American subsidiary of Myplas, the South African leader in the manufacturing of recycled plastic compounds.

Designed and custom-built by Aktid’s Italian teams, this sorting line fully meets Myplas’ specific requirements. Integrated upstream of the plastic film recycling installation, the plant — covering an impressive 16,000 m² — marks Myplas’ first industrial site in the United States. Operational since summer 2023, it now employs more than 200 people.

The objective of this facility is ambitious: to address a major sustainability challenge by mechanically recycling nearly 40,000 tonnes per year of polypropylene (PP) films and packaging, as well as low- and high-density polyethylene (PE/LDPE/HDPE).

The plastic regeneration process aims to convert plastic films into recycled raw material that meets both food-grade and non-food-grade quality standards, with properties comparable to those of virgin material.

A virtuous collaboration & environmental challenges

This project was notably made possible thanks to the investment of the MBOLD coalition and its members, including General Mills, Schwan’s Company, Charter Next Generation, Target and Ecolab. Based in Minnesota, this coalition of leaders from the food and agriculture industries is committed to addressing the global challenges facing the sector by developing practical, operational solutions.

Its members include leading companies operating across every level of the food and agricultural supply chain, as well as researchers, non-profit organizations and other partners, all dedicated to shaping the future of food.

Myplas has established partnerships with these major Minnesota-based companies to secure a consistent supply of plastic. This includes pallet wrap used by General Mills, boat shrink wrap, protective films and plastic bags collected in Target stores.

In addition, these partnerships ensure the sale of recycled resin to plastic film manufacturers such as Charter Next Generation.

In recognition of its efforts, Myplas USA was awarded “Project of the Year” by the Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) for 2023.

““You cannot recycle alone. You need partners across the entire supply chain who can collaborate — and we found that in Minnesota.” “We aim to purchase used films from partners who then buy them back from us once they have been recycled.” ”

Andrew Pieterse
CEO of Myplas

Process by Aktid Italia

The solution designed and delivered by Aktid’s Italian teams enables the efficient sorting of plastic films in order to optimize material purity and convert them into high-quality recycled raw materials, also known as secondary raw materials.

This sorting line, controlled by a state-of-the-art automation system, integrates the latest technologies to deliver outstanding performance.

Equipped with a dosing hopper and bale opener, it ensures a steady and uniform incoming flow to the line. The materials are then conveyed to a vibrating screen, which separates fine fractions from coarser ones. The latter are sent through a sorting cabin, where quality operators remove non-recoverable materials.

The resulting recoverable plastic stream is then directed through an overband magnet and an eddy current separator to extract ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Finally, the bulkier materials pass through a shredder.

Once this first sorting stage is completed, the stream can then proceed to the second phase of the process: recycling.