RECYCLING OF POLYETHYLENE FILMS USED IN GREENHOUSES - DEVELOPMENT OF MULTILAYER PLASTIC FILMS

Recycling of greenhouse plastic films was carried out by coextruding t wo-layer plastic films. The top layer consists of a blend of virgin th ermoplastic resins stabilized with different stabilizers. The bottom l ayer was composed mainly of PE waste in combination with virgin resins and other ingredients. The two-layer films produced were subjected to accelerated UV ageing and to outdoor weathering in two different loca tions for almost 1 year. The results obtained revealed that the optimi zed two-layer films can be successfully used as greenhouse films. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.