The end of the year has brought an increase in scrap plastic prices, with PET, natural HDPE and color HDPE increasing by 10%, 9% and 15%, respectively. 

The national average for post-consumer PET beverage bottles and jars is now 11.02 cents per pound. That's up from 10 cents per pound this time last month. Some regional contracts are yielding as high as 13 cents to 15 cents per pound. This grade has now surpassed levels of one year ago, when it was trading at 10.75 cents per pound.

Natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has also moved up. This grade is now at an average 29.50 cents per pound. This compares with 26.97 cents last month and 60.06 cents this time last year.

Following natural, the average price of color HDPE also moved up again this month. Color HDPE is now at an average 18.81 cents per pound. It was 16.31 cents last month and 9 cents one year ago.

The only drop was seen in polypropylene (PP), which is now at 4.94 cents per pound, down from 5.06 last month and 5.38 cents one year ago.

Prices for films have remained unchanged. 

The national average price of Grade A film remains unchanged at 13.88 cents per pound. It traded at 17.25 cents one year ago. 

Grade B film also remains unchanged at 6.88 cents. 

Finally, Grade C film remains at a nominal 0.13 cents per pound.

These prices are as reported on the Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) Index.  This pricing represents what is being paid for post-consumer recyclable materials in a sorted, baled format, picked up at most major recycling centers.