Cuba Case Study: 500 kg/h PE/PP Washing Line + Pelletizing Line for Mixed HDPE Bottles

The Pain Point: Building a Recycling Line from Zero in Cuba

Cuba's plastic recycling infrastructure is still limited. Our client was a large European technology and investment group with almost no hands-on experience in plastics recovery, because recycling was never its core business.

The project was structured as government-funded aid: the government funded the washing section, while the client company invested in the pelletizing section. That split the budget, left very little room for error, and placed the buyer thousands of miles away from the equipment it was about to operate. Building an unfamiliar sorting → crushing → washing → pelletizing process for an HDPE bottle recycling plant on a tight budget — and building trust from zero at the same time — was the real challenge behind this PE PP washing line project.

Material & Throughput: Mixed HDPE Bottles at 500 kg/h

The incoming feedstock is a mixed rigid-plastic stream of household sundries and bottles, dominated by HDPE, with labels, residues and impurities that vary widely in cleanliness. We sized the entire plant around that reality: a PE PP washing line rated at 500 kg/h feeding the KSP100-40 pelletizing line rated at 400–450 kg/h, so the two stages stay balanced instead of one under- or over-feeding the other.

The Solution: How the Washing Line and Pelletizing Line Match

A bottle recycling plant lives or dies by how well its stages match, so we designed the PE/PP washing line and the pelletizing line as one continuous process rather than two machines bought separately.

Washing Section: From Mixed Bales to Clean Flakes

The washing section is an integrated PE/PP washing line engineered for PE/PP bottles, crates, baskets and buckets. Material moves through nine coordinated stages, all driven from a central electrical cabinet:

•  Belt conveyor
•  Metal detector (Sesotec)
•  Sorting belt
•  Belt conveyor
•  Wet crusher
•  Screw conveyor
•  Flotation (sink-float) washing tank
•  Centrifugal dryer
•  Big-bag (FIBC) filling silo

This is where the washing line's engineering advantages show: a wide material range covering PE film, PP jumbo bags, HDPE pipes, blue drums, milk and shampoo bottles, baskets and crates; core components from international brands such as SEW, WEG, Siemens, ABB and Schneider, backed by a 24-month warranty; and dynamic balancing on every part running above 500 RPM, with a main shaft quenched and tempered twice for longer, more stable service.

Output quality and running costs matter just as much. The power and water consumption around 15% lower than on comparable lines, based on our in-house benchmark. Closed-loop water recirculation cuts fresh-water intake, and the line runs 24-hour continuous operation without clogging or jamming — a decisive advantage for a first-time recycler.

Pelletizing Section: Inside the KSP100-40 Extruder

The pelletizing section is built around the KiTech KSP100-40 plastic pelletizing machine — a single-screw extruder specified for thorough melting and mixing:

• 40:1 L/D ratio for complete melting and mixing
• Rated output of 400–450 kg/h
• Vacuum degassing unit that strips moisture and volatiles for purer pellets
• Plate-type screen changer that filters contaminants for consistent quality
• Water-ring pelletizing with PLC + HMI central control for smooth cutting and precise automation

The optimized screw and barrel improve plasticization, so pellets come out dense, glossy, uniform and free of bubbles, with better sealing and less dust, noise and fumes, plus full-process safety protection.

Where We Drew the Line: One Honest Limitation

Budget constraints meant this HDPE bottle recycling plant was configured as a "simple but reliable" package. As the specialist supplier, we flagged the risk up front: without a dedicated hot-wash stage, label removal and overall cleanliness will be limited. Naming that risk before delivery — rather than after the line starts running — is where trust began.

Project Value: A Closed Loop Built from Zero

For the client, this plant is a from-zero achievement: it establishes a continuously operable HDPE washing and pelletizing capability in a market with little established recycling infrastructure, turning low-value waste into reusable pellets on a properly matched pelletizing line. That meets the social value the aid program required while creating a durable commercial return for the company itself.

For us, the project validated a repeatable delivery model. An HDPE bottle recycling plant with a limited budget, zero experience and cross-continental collaboration still comes together when functional trade-offs are clear and equipment selection is reliable. Nearly two years of groundwork, sustained technical documentation, and a pelletizing line specified to the client's real material finally turned drawings into a line that is now running in the Caribbean.

Why KiTech for HDPE Recycling Equipment

KiTech has manufactured plastic recycling equipment in China for more than 20 years, and has focused on one thing throughout: plastics recycling. From pre-sorting, shredding and crushing to washing, drying, pelletizing and deodorizing, the company has built mature, stable process systems.

Its machines follow European design standards and comply with CE, UL and CSA, and are backed by multiple national invention patents. With more than 800 installations worldwide, an established service system and deep industry know-how, KiTech delivers cost-effective, long-lasting end-to-end solutions — from free capacity calculation and factory layout planning to raw material analysis, installation and commissioning training, and lifetime cost-price supply of wearing parts. That system is exactly what allowed this HDPE recycling project to succeed under a tight budget and zero previous experience.

Partnership and Communication

The order came mainly through a dealer introduction. We have known this partner since 2007, and the relationship runs deep. The client never visited our factory to see a pelletizing line in operation, but our global case studies and the dealer's professional endorsement steadily eased its concerns; flexible payment terms helped the order land faster and left room for future cooperation.

Shipping a production line to the other side of the world has never been only about equipment. Thank you to our client and our partner for your trust, and to every colleague who obsessed over the details — from the first drawing of the pelletizing line to the final shipment.

One more recycling line is now running — and one more market has a circular-economy option it did not have before.

Get a Tailored Solution

Whether you need a PE/PP washing line or a plastic pelletizing machine, contact our engineers for a tailored plan and global references. Tell us your material, your target throughput and your budget — we will show you how an HDPE bottle recycling plant like this one can be built around your reality.