Buying hot washed flakes in Bangladesh
Hot washed PET flake is bottle flake cleaned in a hot caustic and detergent solution after grinding. The hot wash frees dirt, labels and label adhesive; a float-sink stage then lets caps and label film float off while PET sinks; the flake is dried and bagged. Buyers specify it to get flake with less dirt and label residue. A hot washed PET flake supplier in Bangladesh should tell you which of those steps the line runs.
Roptan sources it for you. Feedstock in Bangladesh was reported in 2024 as inconsistent, so wash results vary between plants and lots. We get the seller's wash and sorting steps in writing, compare quotes on the same limits, have a sample from your lot tested and deliver.
How to brief a hot washed PET flake supplier in Bangladesh
- Wash conditions
- Ask the plant to state temperature, caustic strength and time. Published conditions are laboratory ones, not plant norms, so judge the result by the lab report.
- Sorting steps
- Float-sink only, or float-sink plus PVC sorting and colour sorting. A wash label alone does not tell you which.
- Contaminant limits
- Separate values in ppm for PVC, polyolefins, metal and paper, plus appearance by visual inspection, as PRE's flake template asks.
- Fines and flake size
- A screen size and a fines limit. One tight European sheet allows 0.1% below 1 mm; aggressive washing and friction can raise fines.
- Moisture at dispatch
- Drying after the wash sets it: sheets state at most 1%, measured by weight loss at 105 °C.
- Intrinsic viscosity
- A minimum in dl/g with method and edition, such as ASTM D4603-26 or ISO 1628-5.
Tests, methods and papers for hot washed flake
- Petcore Europe EPTP-P-04
- A laboratory practice for washing and sink-float separation of PET flake in hot caustic and detergent solution. Useful as a reference wash, not a plant specification.
- EN 15348:2024
- Main characteristics and test methods for PET recyclates, for agreeing what the lot report must show. It replaced the 2014 edition, withdrawn in May 2024.
- ASTM D4603-26
- Inherent viscosity of PET at 0.50% by glass capillary viscometer. Name this edition; the 2018 one is historical.
- DoE Environmental Clearance Certificate
- Wash plants discharge effluent and need clearance under ECR 2023, with a working effluent treatment plant. We ask to see both.
Lead times and delivery
Flake already washed, sorted and bagged moves faster than flake washed to your limits. Extra sorting passes, the lab report on the lot sample and any re-wash after a failed test add time, and monsoon damp slows drying. Export loads also wait on container bookings at Chattogram. Roptan confirms dates, lot sizes and any minimum in the quote.
We deliver hot washed flake in bags labelled by lot to plants anywhere in Bangladesh, with the packing list, the lab report for the lot, the slip from a BSTI-verified weighbridge and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3). Keep the bags dry: dried flake takes up moisture again in the monsoon, and you pay by weight.
Buying hot washed flakes for export
Under the Basel Convention's plastic waste amendments, binding on Bangladesh since they took effect on 1 January 2021, clean PET for recycling falls under entry B3011 with no prior informed consent, while contaminated or mixed loads fall under Y48 and need it. A good wash helps a lot stay in B3011, but the authorities in the exporting and importing countries make the final reading. Textile millers asked in December 2024 for a ban on exporting PET bottles and flexible packaging, so we check the position, then quote FOB Chattogram with the exporter's ERC.
Questions buyers ask
Is hot washed PET flake free of PVC?
Not by itself. PVC sinks in water just as PET does, so the float-sink stage cannot remove it; it needs a separate sorting step after washing. In the melt PVC can give off hydrogen chloride, so ask for a PVC limit in ppm and a test.
What temperature should a hot wash run at?
We found no published plant figure. A Petcore Europe laboratory practice uses 1% caustic soda with detergent, adds flake at 70 °C and agitates for 15 minutes. Plants set their own conditions, so ask the seller to state them and judge the flake by its lab report.
Do I still need to dry hot washed flake?
Usually, yes. Sheets allow up to 1% moisture at dispatch, while one European patent describes drying flake to at most 50 ppm before processing, and drying can take up to 8 hours. Some extrusion lines are said to accept undried flake; ask your machine supplier.
Why does the wash plant's clearance matter to me?
Hot washing produces effluent, so the plant needs DoE environmental clearance under ECR 2023. Small flake exporters were reported in 2024 to struggle to get it. A plant without it is a risk to supply and to any audit of your recycled input.
How soon will I hear back about PET flakes?
Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.
Who do I deal with?
With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.
