Recycling PSW via mechanical means involves a number of
treatments and preparation steps to be considered. Being a costly
and an energy intense process, mechanical recyclers try to reduce
these steps and working hours as much as possible. Generally, the
first step in mechanical recycling involves size reduction of the
plastic to a more suitable form (pellets, powder or flakes). This is
usually achieved by milling, grinding or shredding (Zia et al.,
2007). The most general scheme was described by Aznar et al.
(2006) and is illustrated in Fig. 3. The steps involved are usually
the following