Release Liners - A Shrinking Violet?

The coatings on the release liners are what seem to pose the biggest hurdle when trying to make the liners compatible with strict recycle regulations. "Silicone coatings on release liners can cause a problem with recycling, and the majority of the liner scrap is generated at the packaging locations and does not follow the end product into the marketplace," said Heinemann. "There is a good secondary market for previously used wide-web release liners, but most of the liner scrap generated by the label industry is too narrow to be reused. Rayven does offer a number of non-silicone release coatings that are more compatible with film (plastic) recycling efforts."