metallized plastic such as chrome plated plastic is processed to separate metal from plastic and especially to recover reusable , essentially metal - free plastic . metallized plastic is comminuted , as necessary , to suitably sized pieces which then are exposed to cryogenic temperature and impacted in a rotary mill to form a mixture of plastic and metal particles . subsequently most of the metal particles are removed from the mixture by effecting particle size and magnetic separation steps . oversized particles can be recycled for further processing . the recovered plastic is then extruded , under conditions which render it molten , through one or more screens .