Shrink Wrap Baler: Recycling Stretch Film and Pallet Wrap

Updated on: 3rd March 2026 By:

Stretch Film Is Not Waste: It’s a Recyclable with Commercial Value

Every warehouse and distribution operation uses stretch film. It arrives on goods, wrapping pallets that come in from suppliers. It is applied to outbound pallets before despatch. It accumulates in the goods receipt area as delivery wrapping is removed, in the packing area as wrapping is applied to outbound loads, and wherever damaged goods are repackaged. For a busy distribution centre, the volume of stretch film generated across a week is substantial, often running to hundreds of kilograms.

The conventional response to stretch film accumulation is to treat it as a nuisance rather than a resource: stuff it into a skip, bag it for general waste collection, or in the worst cases let it pile up in corners until it is so voluminous that disposal becomes an urgent operational problem. All of these approaches pay for the disposal of a material that has commercial value.

Clean, baled stretch film is purchased by plastic film recyclers and converted into recycled polyethylene pellets used in the manufacture of new film products, refuse sacks, agricultural film, and plastic lumber. The market for clean stretch film is consistent, and the commodity price, while variable, is positive in most market conditions. The material that costs money to dispose of when it goes to general waste generates income when it is properly baled and sold.

Converting from the disposal mindset to the recycling mindset for stretch film requires a baler that handles the material’s specific characteristics, an operational process that keeps the film clean and appropriately managed before baling, and a collection arrangement with a film recycler. None of these is particularly complex, but all three need to be in place for the baling programme to deliver its commercial potential.

Gradeall’s vertical baler range including the GV500, G-ECO 500, and G-ECO 250 handles stretch film and pallet wrap baling effectively. The multi-materials baler suits operations baling both film and cardboard with a single machine. Manufactured in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, with nearly 40 years of experience and equipment in over 100 countries, Gradeall’s balers are designed for the real operating conditions of commercial film baling.

Understanding Stretch Film as a Baling Material

Stretch film behaves differently from cardboard in the baling chamber, and understanding those differences is the foundation for effective film baling.

High air content. Loose stretch film is mostly air. A large ball of stretch wrap or a roll of pallet wrapping removed from a pallet represents very little mass in an enormous volume of air-filled space. The baling process must expel this air to produce a dense bale; this is why film baling requires attention to loading technique rather than simply throwing film into the chamber.

Elasticity. Stretch film is, by design, elastic. After compression, it wants to spring back toward its original volume. A film bale is under constant tension from the film’s elastic memory trying to expand. This means the wire ties that hold the bale must be adequate in tensile strength to resist this expansion pressure; under-specified wire fails and the bale springs open after ejection.

Low density per unit volume. Even well-baled stretch film produces bales that are lighter per unit volume than cardboard bales. A film bale of the same physical dimensions as a cardboard bale weighs significantly less. This affects the collection economics: fewer tonnes per collection vehicle load means higher cost per tonne collected. Maximising bale density through good loading technique reduces this effect.

Contamination sensitivity. Clean film has good commercial value. Film contaminated with food residue, oil, dust, or dirt has substantially lower value and may be rejected by film recyclers. The quality of the film stream feeding the baler directly determines the commercial outcome of the baling programme.

Loading Technique: The Key to Dense Film Bales

Loading technique for film baling is more important than for cardboard baling because the material’s air content and elasticity mean that poor loading produces poor bale density regardless of the machine’s compaction force.

Remove excess air before loading. Large pieces of pallet wrap should be gathered and folded or loosely wound to expel as much trapped air as possible before they enter the baler chamber. A large intact sheet of stretch wrap dropped into the baler traps an enormous air pocket that the ram must compress; the same piece of film folded several times enters the chamber with far less air and compresses to a much higher density.

Load in layers rather than in bulk. Adding film to the chamber in manageable layers, rather than pushing in large bundles all at once, allows each layer to be compressed before the next is added. This layered loading approach consistently produces denser bales than bulk loading.

Push film down before initiating the cycle. Most vertical balers allow the operator to push material down into the chamber manually before initiating the compaction cycle. For film, this step is particularly valuable: pushing loose film down into the chamber before the cycle begins helps seat it against the previous compression and reduces the void space the ram needs to close.

Avoid mixing film types. Clear stretch film and coloured film (black pallet wrap, coloured stretch wrap) have different recycling values. Mixing clear and coloured film in the same bale reduces the value of the clear film component. Keeping clear and coloured film in separate baling runs produces better commercial outcomes from each stream.

Machine Selection for Stretch Film Baling

Not all vertical balers are equally suited to stretch film. The key machine characteristics for effective film baling:

Chamber volume. Film is bulky before compression. A large chamber volume accommodates more film per loading before the cycle is needed, reducing the number of cycles per tonne of film processed and improving operational efficiency. The G-ECO 500 and GV500 have the chamber volumes appropriate for high-volume film baling.

Compaction force. Higher compaction force produces denser film bales. Film requires sustained force to compress against its elastic resistance; a machine with adequate force specification holds the film compressed long enough to reach a stable bale density before tying.

Wire tie tensile strength. The wire used to tie film bales must be adequate to resist the expansion pressure of the compressed film. Gradeall’s baler wire range includes specifications appropriate for film baling; confirm the correct wire grade with Gradeall International for your specific machine and film type.

Loading aperture design. A loading aperture that allows easy manual pushing of film material into the chamber supports the loading technique that produces the best bale density. An aperture that is difficult to reach into or that impedes the manual pushing step makes good loading technique harder to achieve consistently.

For operations baling both stretch film and cardboard, the multi-materials baler processes each material in alternating runs. The twin-chamber baler runs both streams simultaneously, which suits operations where both materials are generated continuously and neither can wait for the other’s baling run to complete.

The Commercial Case for Stretch Film Baling

The financial benefit of stretch film baling, as with cardboard baling, comes from two sources: disposal cost elimination and bale income.

Disposal cost elimination. Stretch film currently going into a general waste skip contributes to skip volume and collection frequency. Removing it from the general skip stream reduces collection frequency and the associated cost. If film represents 20 percent of your skip volume, removing it reduces skip fill rate by 20 percent and proportionally reduces annual skip hire cost.

Film bale income. Clean stretch film bales are purchased by film recyclers. UK prices for clean clear polyethylene film typically range from £60 to £150 per tonne depending on market conditions. For a warehouse generating 200 kg of film per week (approximately 10 tonnes per year), bale income at a mid-market price of £100 per tonne generates £1,000 per year.

A worked example for a distribution centre: Current film disposal: included in general waste skip, film contributing to 6 extra skip exchanges per year at £220 per exchange: £1,320 per year disposal cost attributable to film. Film bale income: 15 tonnes per year at £90 per tonne: £1,350 per year. Total annual benefit from film baling: £1,320 + £1,350 = £2,670. Annual baling wire cost for film volume: approximately £300. Net annual benefit: £2,370.

For a distribution centre generating higher film volumes, the numbers scale proportionally. The film stream at a large fulfilment operation can generate several tonnes per week; at this volume the annual financial benefit from baling is substantial.

Operational Setup: From Generation to Collection

Setting up an effective stretch film baling operation requires attention to four operational elements beyond the baler itself:

Collection points at the generation source. Film is generated at goods receipt (removing wrapping from deliveries) and at despatch packing (applying and waste from outbound pallet wrapping). Dedicated film collection points at each generation location, clearly labelled and physically convenient for staff to use, determine whether film reaches the baler cleanly or ends up mixed into general waste.

Storage before baling. Film awaiting baling needs a designated storage area that keeps it dry and contained. Wet or contaminated film loses commercial value; a simple covered area adjacent to the baler provides adequate protection.

Baling schedule. For moderate film volumes, a once or twice daily baling session processes the accumulated film efficiently. For high film volumes at large fulfilment centres, continuous baling during the receiving shift may be needed to prevent accumulation.

Collection arrangement. Film bale collection is arranged with a plastic film recycler or a waste contractor with film recycling capability. Confirm the bale specification requirements (dimensions, density, moisture content, material purity) with the recycler before starting production. Collection is typically arranged when a minimum number of bales has accumulated, often weekly or fortnightly depending on your production rate.

“Stretch film is the waste stream where we see the biggest gap between what businesses are doing and what they could do,” says Conor Murphy, Director of Gradeall International. “They’re paying to dispose of material they could be selling. The baling operation isn’t complicated, the equipment works, and the financial case is real. It just requires the operational discipline to keep the film clean and collected properly.”

Contact Gradeall International to discuss stretch film baler specification for your operation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prevent film from wrapping around the baler’s moving parts?

Film wrapping around moving parts is a risk if very long, thin strands of film enter the machine. Keeping film in gathered or folded form rather than feeding long strands into the machine reduces this risk. Regular inspection and cleaning of accessible moving components prevents accumulation from small pieces that do enter the mechanism. If the machine jams due to film wrapping, isolate power before attempting to clear the jam.

Does all stretch film have the same recycling value?

No. Clear LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) stretch film has the highest value. Black or coloured stretch film (commonly used as UV-resistant pallet wrap for outdoor storage) has lower value due to the colour pigments interfering with recycled pellet colour. Multi-layer stretch film with barrier layers may have lower value than single-layer film. Confirm the specific film types you generate with your film recycler before assuming all film in your stream commands the same price.

Can stretch film with labels and tape attached be baled?

Labels and small amounts of tape attached to film are generally acceptable to film recyclers. Heavily taped film (for example, film that has been used to secure many loose items together with excessive taping) may be discounted. Confirm the tolerance for labels and tape with your specific recycler.

What is the minimum volume of stretch film needed to justify a baler?

As a rough guide, operations generating less than 50 kg of film per week may find that the collection frequency is too low for a regular bale collection arrangement to work economically. Above 100 kg per week, the collection economics work and the baling case is sound. Between these thresholds, discuss with potential film recyclers whether the volume is sufficient for a collection arrangement in your location.

Can we bale stretch film and cardboard in the same bale?

No. Mixing materials produces bales with no commodity value. Cardboard and film must be baled separately. The multi-materials baler and twin-chamber baler are designed specifically to handle both streams from a single machine while keeping the output bales segregated by material type.