Contamination is any unwanted material in a recycling stream. It includes food residue, dirt, moisture, paper labels, adhesives, metals and, very often, the wrong type of plastic mixed in with the target polymer.
Contamination is the main reason recycled plastic loses quality. Even small amounts of PVC or PET in a polyethylene stream cause black specks, gels and odour, and organic residue degrades the melt. It is controlled at every stage: segregation at source, sortation, hot washing, density separation and fine melt filtration during extrusion. Cleaner input gives recyclate that can go into higher-value products.
CII Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026
Lucro took home the Excellence award for Incorporation of Recycled Content in both rigid and flexible packaging at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026:
Post-consumer plastic, back on the shelf as bottles and pouches. The jury noticed.
