Report: Plastics Recycling at an All-Time High

On Thursday, the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the PET Resin Association (PETRA) announced that PET recycling has reached its highest rate since 1997: 27 percent, a 9.8 percent increase over the 2007 rate.

In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com

The “2008 Report on Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity” also details the end-use markets for a record 915 million pounds of recycled PET utilized in everything from plastic bottles to carpeting.

“This healthy rate increase is a real reminder of the ongoing viability of recycling and the country’s commitment to it,” said Bill O’Grady, APR chairman and vice president of Talco Plastics.

“We at APR certainly support increased recycling and end-use markets for recycled resins, and we see the increasing PET recycling rate as an encouraging trend.”

Also known as plastic #1, PET is used in plastic bottles, film, bags, food containers and other packaging. More than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a plastics recycling program, be it curbside or community drop-off centers, making recycling more widespread and a common practice.

“It is very satisfying to see this significant jump in the PET recycling rate,” said Tom Busard, NAPCOR chairman and vice president, Global Procurement and Material Systems, Plastipak Packaging, Inc. “Using recycled PET in the manufacture of goods and packaging is energy and resource-efficient and a good example of sustainable practice.”