Industrial Scrap:

Any plastic resin or products, such as factory regrind and plant scrap, recycled outside of the primary manufacturing facility. Also referred to as post-industrial or pre-consumer plastics. (1995 post-consumer plastic Plastics Recycling/Recovery Rate Survey, Glossary of Terms, R.W. Beck & Associates).

Injection Molding:

A process that involves transmitting melted resin into a mold's cavity; the molten resin then cools and solidifies, and the finished piece is ejected from the mold. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA):

An objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, to assess the impact of those energy and materials uses and releases on the environment, and to evaluate and implement opportunities to affect environmental improvements. The assessment includes the entire life cycle of the product, process or activity, encompassing extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, use/reuse/maintenance, recycling and final disposal. (A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), January 1991).

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI):

An objective, data-based process of quantifying energy and raw material requirements, air emissions, waterborne effluents, solid waste, and other environmental releases incurred throughout the life cycle of a product, process or activity. (A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), January 1991).

Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE):

A plastic that is used predominantly in film applications due to its toughness, flexibility and relative transparency. LLDPE is the preferred resin for injection molding because of its superior toughness and is used in items such as grocery bags, garbage bags and landfill liners. (Adapted from Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995; Plastic Packaging Opportunities and Challenges, APC, February 1992).

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE):

A plastic used predominantly in film applications due to its toughness, flexibility and relative transparency. LDPE has a low melting point, making it popular for use in applications where heat sealing is necessary. Typically, LDPE is used to manufacture flexible films such as those used for plastic retail bags and garment dry cleaning and grocery bags. LDPE is also used to manufacture some flexible lids and bottles, and it is widely used in wire and cable applications for its stable electrical properties and processing characteristics. (Adapted from Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

Methanolysis:

An advanced recycling process where methanol is introduced to PET or other polyester-based material in a chemical processing plant. The polyester is broken down into its basic molecules, including dimethyl terephthalate and ethylene glycol. These precursors are then re-polymerized into purified raw resin. (Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1995).

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF):

A facility that receives materials in a form unacceptable by the marketplace. The MRF separates, removes contamination, sorts, densifies, and stores recyclable material types. Each material is prepared to meet the requirements of a specific market. MRFs are generally considered handlers. (Waste Reduction Strategies for Rural Communities, prepared by the MaCC Group, with support from Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1994).

Monomer:

A relatively simple compound that can react to form a polymer (i.e., polymerize). (Plastics Engineering Handbook of the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., edited by Michael L. Berins).

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW):

A phrase for garbage generated from residential, commercial, institutional and industrial sources that falls into six basic categories-durable goods, non-durable goods, containers and packaging, food wastes, yard trimmings and miscellaneous organic and inorganic wastes. Wastes from these categories include appliances, newspapers, clothing, food scraps, boxes, disposable tableware, office and classroom paper, wood pallets and cafeteria wastes. (Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1994 Update, prepared for U.S. EPA Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division Office of Solid Waste, November 1994).