Plastics Recovery Facility

A Plastics Recovery Facility is often referred to as a PRF and is generically a facility that sorts, grades and prepares mixed Plastic waste fractions into separate fractions/polymers for onward use at Reprocessors. Many MRF operators that process Dry Mixed Recyclables (DMR) often separate 1 or 2 plastic polymer types, but often a MRF will undertake basic sorting for onward 'polishing' and processing in a PRF to achieve higher quality material separation and preparation of the plastic polymer or polymers that it focuses on.

Many also refer to a PRF as a Plastics Recycling Facility, which may be correct if the PRF undertakes sufficient processing of a particular polymer or polymers to allow it to be used directly by a plastics manufacturer/extruder/molder. Such preparation may include washing followed by flaking and/or extrusion into pellets/granules to achieve a quality that is high enough such that it can be used directly in plastics processing. These processed plastic pellets are sometimes called nurdles.