Integrated center and process for recycling both polyolefin and polyester

One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

• collect a broad mix of plastic waste material including, but not limited to, polyolefin and polyester streams;
• pre-process the broad mix of plastic waste material to remove contamination from the broad mix of plastic waste material;
• coarsely shred or grind the broad mix of plastic waste material, resulting in ground material;
• friction wash the ground material to remove dirt, sand, grease, and other contaminants from the ground material;
• sink float the ground material to further wash and separate the ground material, resulting in recycled polyolefin and polyester remainder;
• dry the polyester remainder, resulting in recycled polyester;
• and
• collect the recycled polyester.

An integrated process that constitutes recycling facilities and secondary processing centers with enhanced sorting, separating, and processing capabilities, the process comprising:

• delivering a stream or streams of recyclable waste material to recycling facilities wherein large volume materials including cardboard, glass, aluminum, and steel are sorted, baled, and sold to converters;
• sending remaining material to secondary processing centers for further refinement, wherein the recycling facility enables market area collection and the secondary processing center is a larger regional hub;
• aggregating material on a regional basis;
• and
• sending a concentrated stream of difficult-to-process material through a purpose-built separation process step which would not be practical or economical on a de-centralized basis.