Plastic (PET) Bottle Recycling and Pelletizing Machines

Recycling lines are quoted on clean, sorted, dry flake. What arrives at most Nigerian yards is none of those three, and washing is where the real money goes.

Description

A PET recycling line takes baled bottles through sorting, label and cap removal, crushing, hot washing, drying, then pelletizing through an extruder. The pellets are what you sell, either to local converters or for export.

The throughput figure on any listing describes the pelletizing stage running on clean dry flake. Feed it dirty, wet or mixed material and the whole line slows down, or the pellets come out contaminated and get rejected. Nobody's lying about the number. They're describing an input you have to create.

Which is why washing is the part worth spending on. It's also the part that uses water and produces effluent, and that's a site question you want settled before the machine arrives. Sorting is mostly hands, at least at this scale, and labour is one thing Nigeria has.

The clean flake assumption

Rated throughput assumes prepared feedstock. The number describes clean, dry, sorted flake going into the extruder. Getting your bottles to that state is the actual work and the actual cost.

Washing decides whether you can sell. Contaminated pellets get rejected or downgraded. This is the stage where cutting cost costs you the most later.

Water and effluent are a site problem. Hot washing uses water and produces dirty water. Sort out supply and discharge before the line lands, not after.

Mixed plastics jam the line. PET only. PVC in the feed degrades in the extruder and can ruin a whole batch. Your sorting discipline protects the machine.

Specification

These figures decide throughput and pellet quality. We confirm them against written supplier data before quoting.

Throughput	kg/h of pellets, based on clean dry flake input. Ask what input condition the figure assumes.
Stages included	Crusher, washer, dryer, extruder, pelletizer. Quotes differ mostly on this line, so compare it before comparing prices.
Screw diameter and L/D ratio	Sets extruder output and how well the melt homogenises. Higher L/D generally means better mixing.
Filtration	Screen changer type, manual or hydraulic. Manual means stopping the line to change screens.
Power supply and connected load	380V three-phase, 50Hz. The heaters and extruder motor together add up to a substantial figure.
Water consumption	Litres per hour for the washing stage, and whether water is recirculated. Matters for your site and your running cost.

We do not publish prices, because the landed figure depends on the specification, the Customs valuation and the exchange rate on the day you pay.

Minimum order

One line. Buying the washing and pelletizing stages from one supplier keeps throughput matched and keeps responsibility in one place if something doesn't perform.

Some buyers start with washing and crushing only, selling clean flake, then add pelletizing once they have volume and buyers. That's a reasonable staged approach and we can quote it that way.

What decides the right one

Your feedstock supply and its condition. Baled sorted bottles and loose mixed waste are two different businesses, and they need different front ends.

Then whether you're selling flake or pellets. Flake needs less machine and fetches less. Pellets need the extruder and open up more buyers.

Then water and effluent. This is the constraint that stops projects after the machine has already been paid for, so we raise it early even though nobody enjoys the conversation.

Common questions

What's the minimum order

One line. Typical starting throughput runs from 300kg to 1 ton an hour.

Can I start with washing only

Yes. Selling clean flake is a legitimate business and a lower entry cost. Adding pelletizing later works if we plan the layout for it now.

What contaminants cause problems

PVC is the worst, since it degrades in the extruder. Labels, caps, dirt and moisture all cost you quality too, which is what the washing stage exists for.

How much water does it use

Depends on the washing configuration and whether water is recirculated. We get the figure in writing and check it against what your site can supply.

How is it shipped and installed

Containerised, with installation and commissioning support through your first production run.

Tell us your feedstock and your buyers

Where your bottles come from, what condition they arrive in, and whether you're selling flake or pellets. We'll tell you what line that is, what it lands at in Naira with every line itemised, and what your site needs for water and effluent.

Costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.

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