Facts About Plastic Bottles

It’s a hot summer day and you are enjoying a nice, cool bottle of water. As you walk through your local park, you reach out and throw your empty bottle into the trash can. What are the repercussions of these actions?

• Americans buy an estimated 29.8 billion plastic water bottles every year.
• Nearly eight out of every 10 bottles will end up in a landfill.
• It is estimated that the production of plastics accounts for 4 percent of the energy consumption in the U.S.
• HDPE and PET bottles showed the highest recycling rates of any plastic bottles types, at 27.1 and 23.1 percent, respectively.
• Less than 1 percent of all plastics is recycled. Therefore, almost all plastics are incinerated or end up in a landfill.
• Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.
• Recycled plastic bottles can be made into products such as clothing, carpeting, detergent bottles and lumber for outdoor decking.
• More than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a plastics recycling program, be it curbside or community drop-off centers.
• Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses two-thirds less energy than is required to make products from raw (virgin) materials. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.