If you’re reading this, chances are you work in a facility that uses labeling machines—you know, the ones that slap barcodes, product names, nutrition facts, and fancy graphics onto bottles, boxes, jars, and whatever else you’re packaging. Chances are also, if you’re like most of the ops teams I’ve talked to, you’ve got a pile of used labels hanging around your waste bins, and you’re not sure what to do with ’em. I’m a labeling machine supplier, so I see this stuff all the time—on demo runs, at customer training sessions, even in the back of plant break rooms where no one’s got the bandwidth to sort out recycling rules. For years, folks just tossed ’em in the trash, but that’s a total waste (pun very intended) because most of these labels aren’t as hard to recycle as you think. Labeling Machine
First, let’s cut through the noise: not all labels are made equal, and that’s the first trap people fall into. When a label sticks to a bottle or a box, it’s got three main parts, right? The face stock (the paper or plastic stuff you see with the print), the adhesive that holds it on, and the liner (the big backing sheet that the labels are peeled off of before they go on the product). I’ve seen customers mix all three together in a single trash bin, which makes zero sense because liners are way easier to recycle than face stock sometimes, and adhesives can mess up whole batches of recycled plastic if they’re not separated properly. Let’s break this down, step by step, the way I walk my customers through it when I install a new labeling machine and sit down with their waste management team.
Start with the post-label waste your machine is spitting out every shift. Your labeling machine isn’t just putting labels on products—it’s also spitting out empty liners, misprinted labels that get rejected mid-run, and edge trims from when the labels are cut to size. All that stuff is “used labels” in our context, and it needs to be sorted before you even call your waste hauler. I’ve had customers tell me “we just toss all that in cardboard recycling,” and 9 times out of 10, that contaminates the whole bale. Cardboard recycling systems don’t like plastic liners (most liners are polyethylene, a type of plastic), and they definitely hate leftover adhesive gunk that’s still stuck on the edge of a face stock label.
So first step: sort your used label waste into two bins, easy. Bin 1 is liners—those clear, thin, usually plastic sheets that the labels come on before you peel ’em off. Bin 2 is face stock—those are the actual labels, rejected or misprinted, with whatever adhesive’s left on the back. Why split these? Liners are almost always made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is the same stuff as grocery bags and plastic wrap. A lot of recycling centers take LDPE, but only if you drop it off at the right drop-off point, not mix it with curbside plastic bottles or containers. Face stock? That’s trickier. If it’s paper face stock (most labels for cardboard boxes are paper with a wet glue adhesive), that can sometimes go into paper recycling—if there’s no plastic or adhesive residue. If it’s plastic face stock (like the shiny labels on soda bottles or skincare jars), that’s a different story.
Wait, let’s talk adhesives because that’s the big mystery no one asks about. Most labeling machine face stock uses either permanent adhesive or removable adhesive. Removable is the kind you can peel off a glass jar easily, right? That’s way easier to recycle because the adhesive doesn’t leave gunk on the glass when you process it. Permanent? That’s the one that sticks like glue (literally) — if you leave that on a plastic face stock or a paper liner, it can ruin a batch of recycled material. So if you’re sorting face stock, stick to separating rejected labels that still have intact adhesive (or as intact as they get) from ones that were peeled off products and have residue. That’s a small step but makes a huge difference.
Now, what if your labeling machine is producing a lot of misprinted labels or offcuts? I’ve seen customers who have 10,000+ square feet of misprinted labels a month, just sitting in a corner. That’s not a trash problem—that’s a resource problem. For example, paper face stock labels (the ones on cereal boxes, detergent bottles) can actually be recycled into office paper or cardboard if you remove any plastic coating (which most of the newer sustainable labels skip anyway, by the way). A lot of paper mills will take those as long as you don’t mix in plastic or food residue. For plastic face stock labels, some recycling services for hard-to-recycle plastics will take them if they’re sorted by type—look for a “film recycling” program in your area, because that’s where plastic face stock and liners belong. A lot of grocery stores have those big bins by the entrance for plastic film, so you can drop your sorted liners and plastic face stock there.
Wait, let’s get specific about what I tell my customers when they’re setting up their labeling machine’s waste stream. I always tell them, first, check with your local recycling center. No two areas are the same—some cities take plastic film curbside, some only at drop-off points, some don’t take it at all. If your city doesn’t accept it, that’s not an excuse to toss it in the trash—partner with a nearby manufacturer that can use it. For example, I have a customer who runs a juice factory near me, and they collect all their liners and misprinted plastic labels and send ’em to a company that turns that plastic into park benches and playground equipment. That’s a closed loop, and it cuts their waste to landfills by like 80% a year. I never push hard on customers to do that, but I do point it out as an option if their local recycling isn’t set up for it.
Another common mistake: people think all labels (and liners) are the same, so they just sort them by color or brand. Don’t do that. LDPE liners from a generic label roll are the same plastic as liners from a fancy food label roll, so color or brand doesn’t matter. Just make sure they’re clean—no food residue, no adhesive gunk, no tape stuck to ’em. Even a little bit of contamination can ruin a whole batch of recycled LDPE, so if a label is super greasy or has glue all over it, toss that in the trash. It’s better than contaminating a whole bin of recyclable material.
What about if you’re using a water-activated adhesive for your labels? That’s the kind that needs water to stick, right? Those are way easier to recycle because the adhesive is water-soluble, so when you process the paper face stock in a recycling mill, the glue just washes away. I always recommend water-activated adhesives for customers who care about recycling, not just because it’s better for the planet, but because it cuts down on label mispeels on the machine. Less mispeels mean less waste from misprinted labels, which saves you money on label stock too. Win-win.
Wait, let’s talk about what happens if you just toss all your used labels in the trash. A lot of people don’t realize that liners and misprinted labels are mostly plastic, and plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose in landfills. I had one customer tell me they were spending $1,500 a month on waste disposal for their label waste, because it was all going to landfill. Once they sorted their liners and plastic face stock into a film recycling bin, their waste disposal cost dropped by 70%, because now that stuff was being recycled instead of dumped. That’s a huge savings, and I see it all the time—recycling your label waste isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for your bottom line.
Now, let’s get to the part where you actually put this into action with your labeling machine. If you work with a labeling machine supplier, like, well, us, you can ask for a quick waste stream audit. We don’t do anything fancy, just come to your plant, look at what labels your machine is spitting out, sort through a sample of the waste, and tell you exactly what to do with it. A lot of suppliers skip that step, but I think it’s part of our job—we don’t just sell you a machine, we make sure you’re using it efficiently, including on the waste side.
Let me wrap this up with a few quick, actionable tips that work no matter what kind of labeling machine you run. First: sort your used labels (liners, face stock, rejects) into separate bins right at the machine. Don’t let them mix in a big pile on the plant floor. Second: check your local recycling center’s rules before you set up a program—don’t assume they take film or plastic face stock. Third: if local recycling isn’t an option, look for specialty recycling services that process hard-to-recycle plastics; a lot of them will pick up from your plant for a small fee, and it’s way better than landfill. Fourth: swap to water-activated adhesives if you’re using permanent ones—they cut waste and are way easier to recycle.
If you’re still not sure where to start, or you want to tweak your current label recycling setup to save more money or waste less, feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to help with all your labeling machine needs, including cutting down on your label waste and making your operations more sustainable. Don’t let your used labels end up in a landfill when they could be turned into new products—small changes at the labeling machine level make a big difference.
Exposing Machine References
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guide to Recycling Plastic Packaging, 2022
- Sustainable Packaging Coalition Label Recycling Best Practices, 2023
- Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Film Recycling Standards, 2021
Shenzhen Hejia Automatic Printing Machine Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen Hejia Automatic Printing Machine Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional labeling machine manufacturers and suppliers in China. All products for sale come in high precision and reliable performance. If you’re interested in it, welcome to place orders for labeling machine from our factory. Good prices and services are offered in our factory.
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