recovery yield (material recovery rate)

Recovery yield (also called material recovery rate or yield rate) is calculated as: (weight of saleable output ÷ weight of input feedstock) × 100%. For a plastic recycling line that receives 100 kg of PET bottle bales and produces 82 kg of rPET pellets (with 18 kg in washwater, fines, labels, and caps), the recovery yield is 82%. This metric is the single most important operational efficiency indicator for a recycling business because it directly determines the effective cost per kg of output: if raw material cost is Rs 20/kg input, a 90% yield gives Rs 22.2/kg material cost per kg of output, while an 80% yield gives Rs 25/kg — a Rs 2.8/kg difference on a Rs 20 material cost, which can make or break unit economics at thin margins.

Typical recovery yields in Indian recycling operations: PET bottle (bale → rPET pellets): 82–90% (losses from labels 3–5%, caps 2–4%, washing fines 2–3%, extrusion losses 1–2%); HDPE bottles (bale → rHDPE pellets): 85–92% (higher than PET because HDPE labels are often paper, easily removed, and no cap-separation loss); PP woven sacks → rPP pellets: 88–95% (industrial sacks are clean, low label and cap contamination); MLP (mixed) → co-processed output: 60–75% (high inorganic content, moisture, adhesive weight); end-of-life tyres → pyrolysis oil: 40–55% by weight (specific gravity of oil is 0.85–0.95 — mass yield understates volumetric yield). Recovery yield degrades with feedstock quality: a bale of PET with high contamination (labels, paper, other polymers) entering a poorly designed line may give 72–78% yield versus 87–90% for a clean, well-sorted bale through a modern continuous line.

Tracking and improving recovery yield: (1) weighbridge at gate — weigh every incoming load to establish input mass (this is also required for EPR credit documentation); (2) separate waste streams — weigh labels/fines/washing water sludge and extrusion purge waste separately to identify loss points; (3) mass balance calculation monthly — if recovery yield is trending below target, investigate which stage is the loss point (sorting rejects? washing sludge? extrusion?); (4) benchmark against feedstock type — compare yield only within the same feedstock category; a 82% yield on mixed MRF-sourced PET is not directly comparable to a 90% yield on industrial PET film. CPCB's EPR portal requires weight-based documentation of input received and output generated — this is the same data needed for internal yield tracking, so set up the records for dual purpose from day one.

For process improvement, the highest-yield gain per rupee of investment typically comes from upstream sorting: removing high-contamination inputs at the gate (reject lots with >15% non-PET content) rather than paying to wash and process them and losing yield downstream. A Rs 5–15 lakh investment in a NIR hand-held tester or a portable XRF unit allows gate-level contamination assessment that protects the entire plant's yield. At scale (>5 TPD), inline NIR sorters on the sorting belt pay back in 18–36 months through yield improvement alone.