In 2026, most industrial plastic recycling projects shortlist equipment from a few established European and American manufacturers plus selected Asian suppliers such as Vecoplan and Energycle. For practical purchasing, you can think in two tiers: imported high‑end brands for large or export‑driven plants, and Asian brands for cost‑efficient, locally supported lines.
Vecoplan (Germany / USA)
Vecoplan supplies a full range of plastic shredders and size‑reduction systems covering bottles, film, profiles, and bulky parts in materials such as ABS, HDPE, LDPE, PET, PP, and PVC. The company offers many rotor and knife configurations plus different screen sizes, so processors can match output particle size to washing and pelletizing requirements.
Key advantages: Suitable for high‑capacity plants that need stable output, precise particle size control, and strong support for complete line engineering.
Lindner Recyclingtech (Germany)
Lindner focuses on system solutions for post‑consumer and in‑house plastics recycling. Its shredders prepare contaminated plastics for washing by producing homogeneous flakes, often achieving a very high share of material below the target screen size at relatively low energy consumption.
Key advantages: Well suited to large sorting and washing plants where throughput, energy efficiency, and reliable flake quality are critical.
SSI Shredding Systems (USA)
SSI builds low‑speed, high‑torque shredders for demanding applications including plastics, textiles, and other solid waste. The machines can process baled plastics, thick‑walled parts, purgings, and bulky items, and are widely used in 24‑hour continuous service.
Key advantages: A strong option where material is heavy or inconsistent and the plant needs durable machines with predictable performance under continuous load.
Granutech‑Saturn Systems (USA)
Granutech‑Saturn has decades of experience in shredders, granulators, and integrated systems for plastics, rubber, and metals. Its Saturn series includes single, dual, and quad‑shaft shredders designed for high‑wear and high‑throughput environments.
Key advantages: Attractive for buyers who place emphasis on long equipment life and proven references in heavy‑duty recycling applications.
ZERMA (Germany, global production)
ZERMA concentrates on plastics size‑reduction equipment, offering granulators, shredders, and pulverizers that cover everything from small beside‑the‑press units to large systems for pipes and thick sections. The ZCS series combines a single‑shaft shredder with a granulator in one compact machine, cutting floor‑space and internal conveying steps.
Key advantages: Flexible portfolio for processors needing both shredding and granulation, with many choices for different plastics and throughput levels.
WEIMA (Germany)
WEIMA produces single‑shaft and dual‑shaft shredders along with granulators for plastics recycling. Their machines handle PE, PP, PVC, PS, PU, and PET, and users can select rotor designs and cutting tools to fit specific materials. Many plants use WEIMA in a two‑stage layout, pairing a shredder with a secondary granulator to reduce noise, blade wear, and energy usage compared with oversizing a single granulator.
Key advantages: Good choice for processors who want a clear, two‑stage size‑reduction concept with strong support for both in‑house production scrap and post‑consumer plastics.
POLYSTAR (Taiwan)
POLYSTAR focuses on plastic film and packaging recycling systems built around simple operation and compact layout. Since 1988, it has installed thousands of machines in more than 100 countries, including Europe, the USA, and Asia. Its Repro‑Flex and Repro‑One lines combine cutting, extrusion, and pelletizing so that light film and flake are first compacted in a cutter‑compactor and then fed directly into the extruder.
Key advantages: Well matched to PE/PP film, bags, and woven sacks where users want a one‑step recycling and pelletizing solution with limited labour and floor‑space.
Energycle (China)
Energycle designs industrial plastic shredders as the front end of complete recycling lines including washing, separation, drying, and pelletizing. Its range covers single‑shaft and double‑shaft machines configured for films, woven bags, pipes, profiles, lumps, textiles, and other plastic scrap. A typical single‑shaft model uses a hydraulically fed rotor working against fixed knives, with an interchangeable screen to achieve output sizes around 20–80 mm.
Key advantages: A practical option for recyclers who need reliable, application‑specific shredders with adjustable particle size and the possibility to integrate into wider plastic recycling systems.
How to Use This in Real Purchasing
- For export‑oriented or very large plants that must meet strict European or North American standards, imported brands such as Vecoplan, Lindner, SSI, Granutech‑Saturn, ZERMA, and WEIMA are usually shortlisted first.
- For projects focused on film and packaging with clear pellet quality targets, POLYSTAR is often considered as the main recycling line supplier.
- For plants that already have or plan to build their own washing and pelletizing equipment and need stable front‑end size reduction, Energycle shredders are a strong candidate.
If you tell me your main material (bottles, film, big drums/pipes, or mixed), daily capacity, and budget range, I can help you turn this into a short brand shortlist section tailored to your website’s visitors.
