Black colorant, purging agent new at Techmer PM S. Sampson/Simple Modern Style Officials said the new purging agent reduces waste and enhances sustainability by saving energy and water and significantly reducing scrap and labor. Techmer PM has come to market with a new black plastics colorant and a new purging agent. The black colorant was developed because black plastic "causes endless headaches for plastics recyclers," officials said, because typical carbon black pigments absorb the near-infrared (NIR) light used by recyclers to sort material streams. Officials said this process leads to tons of mixed plastics not being properly sorted, which means they can't be recycled and end up in landfills.