Recycling & Plastics Glossary
Key terms across plastic recycling — from rPET and rPS to foam densification and the circular economy.
- rPET (Recycled PET)
- Recycled polyethylene terephthalate made from post-consumer PET such as beverage bottles — cleaned and reprocessed into new flakes, packaging or fibre with a far lower carbon footprint than virgin PET.
- rPS (Recycled Polystyrene)
- Recycled polystyrene regenerated from waste PS and EPS foam into pellets, used for products such as picture-frame mouldings and decorative profiles.
- PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
- A clear, strong thermoplastic polyester widely used for beverage bottles and food packaging, and one of the most recyclable plastics.
- PS (Polystyrene)
- A versatile thermoplastic available in rigid (GPPS/HIPS) or foamed (EPS) form; a core material INTCO Recycling recovers and reuses.
- EPS (Expanded Polystyrene)
- Foamed polystyrene — the lightweight ‘foam’ used in packaging and insulation; INTCO compacts and pelletizes it for recycling with its GreenMax equipment.
- GPPS (General Purpose Polystyrene)
- Transparent, rigid, brittle polystyrene commonly used for disposable tableware and cases.
- HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene)
- Polystyrene toughened with rubber for impact resistance; opaque and used for appliance housings, frames and signage.
- XPS (Extruded Polystyrene)
- Closed-cell polystyrene foam made by extrusion, valued for thermal insulation in construction boards.
- EPP (Expanded Polypropylene)
- A tough, recyclable polypropylene foam used in automotive components and protective packaging.
- Densification (Volume Reduction)
- Compacting bulky foam plastics such as EPS into dense blocks or ingots — by cold press or thermal melting — to cut transport cost and enable recycling; the job of INTCO’s GreenMax machines.
- Pelletizing (Granulation)
- Melting and extruding recycled plastic and cutting it into uniform pellets (recycled granules) ready for downstream manufacturing.
- Mechanical Recycling
- Recovering plastic through physical steps — shredding, washing, melting, pelletizing — without altering its chemical structure; INTCO’s primary recycling method.
- Closed-Loop Recycling
- Regenerating waste plastic into new products of the same or equivalent value, forming a ‘product-to-product’ cycle that preserves material value.
- Circular Economy
- An economic model built on keeping resources in use — recovering, regenerating and reusing materials to cut waste and virgin-resource consumption; the foundation of INTCO Recycling’s business.
- PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled)
- Recycled material sourced from end-user waste such as used bottles and packaging — a key measure of a product’s recycled content.
- PIR (Post-Industrial Recycled)
- Recycled material recovered from manufacturing scrap and offcuts before it ever reaches consumers.
- Food-Grade rPET
- Recycled PET that meets food-contact safety standards for food and beverage packaging, typically requiring high-temperature decontamination and certification.
- PS Frame Moulding
- Decorative profiles extruded from recycled polystyrene (rPS), then cut, joined and finished into picture and decorative frames — a flagship of INTCO’s ‘reuse’ stage.
- GreenMax
- INTCO Recycling’s in-house brand of plastic recycling equipment, providing densification, shredding and pelletizing solutions for EPS and foam plastics.
- Virgin Plastic
- New plastic made directly from fossil feedstock such as petroleum; using recycled plastic instead substantially lowers carbon emissions and resource use.