What PC bottle scrap is

Polycarbonate is an amorphous engineering thermoplastic with a density around 1.20 g/cm3, high impact strength, good clarity and a glass transition temperature high enough that boiling water does not distort it. Those properties made it the default material for refillable water bottles, and they are also why the scrap is worth collecting: the polymer does not lose its mechanical character the way a commodity film grade does after a few heat cycles.

PC bottle scrap arrives as 5 gallon dispenser bottles, 3 gallon and 2 gallon variants, and smaller refillable containers. Most are clear with a blue or green tint; some carry printed branding, a protective cap, a silicone or rubber seal, and a handle. Sorting centres that understand the material can produce a very clean regrind, which is what makes it a tradeable grade rather than general mixed plastic.

Grades of PC bottle scrap we handle

The main variables are colour, clarity and contamination from caps, seals and labels. Clear material keeps the widest options; heavily printed or tinted material is confined to dark or hidden products.

Where our PC bottle scrap comes from

Water dispenser companies are the primary source. They rotate bottles on a fixed cycle as they become scuffed or fail inspection, which produces a predictable, well-identified stream. Offices, schools and factories replacing their water equipment add smaller volumes, and municipal collection supplies the rest as crushed bottles from commercial waste.

We also buy polycarbonate from other sources with the same handling logic: sheet offcuts from signage and machine guards, and moulding waste from electronics and appliance manufacturing. Because PC is an engineering plastic, the quantities are smaller than for commodity polymers, but the value per kilo is higher.

Specification we work to

Polycarbonate is specified by melt flow rate and by impact performance rather than by the simple density-and-colour description used for polyolefins. Heat history matters: PC hydrolyses if it is processed wet, so drying is a genuine requirement, not a formality.

Contamination and why PC scrap needs discipline

Polycarbonate is hygroscopic and hydrolytically sensitive. Moisture absorbed from the air breaks the molecular chain during melting, and the result is a brittle part that fails in service — often weeks after it was moulded. That is the single most common reason recycled polycarbonate disappoints a moulder, and it is a drying problem rather than a material problem. We dry and report moisture so the buyer starts from a known state.

Mixed polymers are the second risk. PC is often confused with PMMA and with clear polystyrene in a sorting yard, and PC-ABS blends behave differently from pure PC. Seals, caps and handles are a different family entirely and must be removed. Metal inserts and valve components are extracted by magnet and by hand.

There is also a regulatory dimension worth stating plainly. Polycarbonate can contain residual bisphenol A, and products made from recycled PC are not sold into food contact or infant feeding applications. We keep PC out of any stream destined for food-contact products and describe the material for what it is.

How we buy PC bottle scrap

We buy by weight after inspection and sample. Bottles are checked for colour, print coverage, and whether caps and seals are still fitted, because each adds handling cost. Crushed material is checked for bulk density so we know how much polymer is actually in the truck.

For water companies rotating stock, we can set up a scheduled collection against an agreed grade, which turns a disposal cost into a credit. For traders, a photograph of the material and an approximate tonnage is enough for an indicative rate.

How we recycle PC bottle scrap

Bottles are de-capped, de-sealed and inspected, then crushed and granulated. Label and print removal is done mechanically where possible and by sorting where not. The regrind is washed, dried to a low moisture level and either sold as regrind or pelletised with filtration. Because PC holds its properties well, the regrind is a genuine engineering material rather than a filler substitute.

We keep PC separate from the commodity streams at every stage. Mixing engineering plastics into a polyethylene or polypropylene consignment is one of the fastest ways to lose a customer, and the discipline of keeping them apart is what makes our engineering-plastic grades sellable.

What is made from recycled PC bottle scrap

Non-food, non-medical applications where toughness and transparency or colour consistency are useful.

• Industrial and electrical housings and enclosures
• Machine guards, safety screens and lenses where optical clarity is not critical
• Signage, light diffusers and display components
• Tool housings, handles and protective covers
• Automotive interior trims and non-structural components
• Reusable industrial crates and tote boxes
• Blends with ABS for moulded parts requiring impact strength

Recycled polycarbonate is not offered for food contact, drinking water containers or infant feeding products.

What moves the price of PC bottle scrap

Polycarbonate scrap is a niche market with few buyers and few sellers, so price is set by negotiation rather than by any published index. The reference point is the virgin PC price, and the discount depends on colour, clarity and — above all — on how much moisture the material has absorbed in storage. Buyers who have been burned by brittle parts pay close attention to drying history, and a lot with a documented moisture figure will always beat a cheaper one without.

Supply is lumpy. Water companies rotate bottles on a fixed maintenance cycle, so a few large lots appear each year rather than a steady stream. That means the seller with storage capacity holds the stronger position, and the seller who needs the space clears at whatever the market offers that week. For a buyer, the practical lesson is to secure material when it is available rather than when it is needed.

Specifying PC bottle scrap: what to send us

• Bottle size and type — 5 gallon dispenser, 3 gallon, 2 gallon, or other
• Colour and clarity: clear, light blue, tinted, or printed
• Whether caps, silicone seals, handles and valves are still fitted
• Whether the material is whole, crushed or baled, and the approximate bulk density
• Approximate tonnage and how often you rotate stock
• How the material has been stored — covered or exposed, since moisture absorption affects the whole batch

Buying PC bottle scrap from Al Qaryan Industries

Al Qaryan Industries buys PC bottle scrap, polycarbonate sheet offcuts and moulding waste, and supplies PC regrind to industrial moulders and compounders in Pakistan. Engineering plastics are a smaller volume than our commodity trade but a more technical one, and we handle them with the moisture and separation discipline they need.

Selling to us: send photographs, the tonnage, whether caps and seals are still fitted, and the location. WhatsApp +92 333 201 0506 is fastest. If the lot is large we will inspect before quoting.

Buying from us: tell us the application, whether you can accept mixed colour, and the melt flow window your process needs. We will confirm the measured figure for the lot so you can set drying and temperature parameters before your first run.

Questions buyers and suppliers ask

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