An increasing number of Americans have access to curbside recycling, and consumer and community education programs are spreading the message about the benefits of recycling. Despite these efforts, recycling rates in the United States are still very low. According to the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers (APR), the American PET recycling rate in 2006 was only 23.5%.
Recycling of all plastics, including PET, is an important component of sustainability and something that we strongly encourage and support. The National Recycling Coalition cites PET plastic bottles as one of the top products to recycle because they are 100% recyclable.
How does PET plastic become a new product? It’s a four step process that begins with you!
- In order to give birth to a new product, used PET containers must first be properly disposed of by companies or individuals for recycling collection.
- The collected PET bottles are then sent to a sorting plant where objects are separated according to
their materials. Recovered PET bottles are compacted into a bundle and are sent to a reclaimer – the factory that turns used bottles into PET flakes. - The first thing the reclaimer has to do is de-bale the bundles and re-sort the material to make sure the final product will be as pure as possible. The de-baled bundles are then pre-washed and shredded into flakes. The flakes are again washed, dried, and then stocked and sold.
- The real recycling starts when the solid flakes, the raw material, are used to manufacture a new product. Recycled PET bottles can be turned into polyester fibers, which are used as a base for products such as fleece coats, clothing, pillows and carpets. PET can also be recycled back into new, single-serve PET bottles that are convenient, safe and recyclable.