By Ron Shinn
Two well-known names in recycling machinery — Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR) and Leistritz Extrusionstechnik GmbH — are teaming up on a new process that recycles and compounds in a single step with only one melting process.
A test plant at the NGR test center in Austria is already running customer trials. It is designed to handle 600-1,100 pounds per hour.
The collaboration was announced at K 2025.
The two companies said the goal is to make the entire recycling chain more efficient. New wide-ranging European Union packaging regulations coming in August include mandatory content and extended producer responsibility requirements, as well as material restrictions.
The new NGR-Leistritz process aims to reduce energy costs and CO2 footprint and produce material suitable for high-quality polyolefin films with defect-free requirements.
The companies said it allows pellets to be precisely tailored to specific applications.
The system uses NGR’s C:Gran technology, which includes a cutter-compactor and single-screw extruder, for initial processing. The melted, recycled material is then automatically transferred from the NGR extruder to a Leistritz twin-screw extruder to be compounded.
By eliminating one melting cycle, the system saves energy costs but also extends the life of resin by several life cycles. “It means the recycled pellet is not a commodity anymore,” an NGR official said.
The system also uses high-performance degassing techniques to remove volatile contaminants, which is necessary for food-grade applications.
NGR builds recycling equipment for the polyolefin, PET and engineered plastics markets. Leistritz manufactures twin-screw extruders and turnkey extrusion systems frequently used in compounding.
Contact:
Next Generation Recycling Machines Inc., Atlanta, 678-720-9861, https://ngr-world.com
Leistritz Extrusion, Branchburg, N.J., 908-685-2333, https://extruders.leistritz.com/en/start
About the Author
Ron Shinn
Editor
Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.