PET bottle bales are collected bottles pressed into blocks. Their value to a washing line depends on what is inside the bale, not on its outside. A clear specification and a check before shipment protect your yield.
What a bale contains
- Colour mix: clear bottles are worth the most; light blue is usually accepted with clear; green, brown and other colours are often separated or priced differently.
- Caps and labels: caps (usually PP or HDPE) and labels are normal and are removed in the washing line, but their share lowers your PET yield.
- Contaminants: PVC and PETG bottles, oil and chemical bottles, metal, glass, paper and other plastics. PVC is the most damaging, because even small amounts discolour and degrade PET when it is melted.
- Moisture and liquids: these add weight that is not PET.
Source matters
Deposit-return and curbside collection give different quality. Ask where the bottles were collected and how they were sorted before baling.
Checking a lot
- Photos of the bales, and of an opened bale
- A sample, or a test run, for a first order
- A pre-shipment inspection where the value justifies it
- Loading photos showing the bales going into the container
Bale weight and loading
Bale size and density vary by baler. The weight that fits a 40-foot container depends on how dense the bales are, so ask for the expected net weight per container in the offer rather than assuming one.
What to send for a quote
- Colour mix you accept, and limits for PVC, caps, labels and foreign matter
- Source if you have a preference (deposit or curbside)
- Monthly quantity and destination port
- Inspection or photo requirements before shipment