Reducing surface and bulk contamination in plastic

A method to remove contaminants from a first plastic to produce a purer plastic comprising:

• a. providing a first plastic comprising individual contaminants, each individual contaminant having a concentration;
• b. extracting said individual contaminants from said first plastic at a temperature and a pressure, using a solvent that comprises an organic solvent or mixture of organic solvents, in extraction stages, wherein the total extraction time is less than about 6 hours, to produce a purer plastic comprising individual contaminants, each having a concentration;
• wherein said extraction stages are conducted at a solvent to first plastic mass ratio;
• wherein said solvent to first plastic mass ratio per stage at any time is less than 100:1;
• wherein said pressure is less than about 1,000 atm;
• wherein said first plastic individual contaminants comprise at least one of 4-tertpentylphenol, bisphenol A, OCDD, PCB 118, and 2-ethylhexyl phthalate;
• wherein at least one of the individual contaminants concentration in said purer plastic is reduced compared to its concentration in said first plastic by at least about 55% or LOQ;
• and
• wherein the first plastic is a polyolefin.