Recycling prices and market commentary: 2 December 2022

December 2, 2022

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As we enter the compliance year transition period, all eyes are now on what this will mean for the PRN/PERN market.

For packaging grades, it meant a physical market largely in stasis while traders waited to see which way the PRN/PERN price would go.

It was a mixed picture with the plastic PRN/PERN coming down, while steel and aluminium were up a bit. Other materials barely changed while the market waits to see what is going to happen.

The pound strengthened again against the dollar reaching $1.22 at the time of writing from $1.21. This means since the beginning of November, the pound has increased from $1.12.

This wasn’t repeated with the euro, which hovered around the €1.16 mark.

Recycled plastics

There wasn’t any price movement this week, but the falling value of the PRN/PERN is bound to affect things in the coming days.

From around £430 last week, the beginning of the transition period for the compliance year saw the price drop to £375 per tonne.

Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet market as neither buyers or sellers wanted to make the jump as they waited to see what would happen in the PRN/PERN market.

Forecast prices

	1-week	4-week
PET	345-351	341-346
HDPE	944-950	934-940
LDPE 98/2	685-691	677-683

Recycled paper

Prices continued to be driven by Asian buyers, but when they were trading it was at the same values as last week.

Other markets were quiet with domestic, European and elsewhere not too active in the market.

All eyes are now on the PRN/PERN market and what the start of the transition period for the compliance year will mean for prices that have been boosted in recent months.

The run-up to Christmas looks set to be driven by where demand will come from and the movement of the PRN/PERN market.

Forecast prices

	1-week	4-week
OCC	133-137	132-135
ONP	153-157	152-156
Mixed	42-46	42-46

Recycled metals

Copper increased by £175 per tonne this week, while brass was up £50 per tonne. All other grades were unchanged.