Plastic Bottles

Recycling is on the Rise

Plastic bottles are the most commonly-recycled household plastics. Recently, a study found that 92% of Americans have access to recycling HDPE bottles/jugs and jars. In another recent study, plastic bottle recycling reached nearly 2.8 billion pounds, a 29.3% recovery rate. The total pounds of HDPE processed by USA reclaimers were 953 million pounds and the five year compounded annual growth rate for plastic bottle recycling was 0.1%.

To support this recycling trend and keep the momentum, the following resources can help:

• These reports from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) quantify the amount and rate of recycling for all plastic bottles: 2017 National Post-Consumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report | Earlier Studies
• These reports from MORE Recycling Associates document the percentage of the population that has access to recycle various types of plastics, including bottles: 2015-2016 Centralized Study on Availability of Plastic Recycling | Earlier Studies
• APR provides information on plastic bottle caps recycling
• The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) provides resources and information that support recovery of PET packaging (including bottles)
• These reports from NAPCOR include recycling rates for PET bottles (and other PET containers): 2017 Post-Consumer PET Container Recycling Activity Report | Earlier Studies

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Check out our new animated video which encourages recycling professionals and communities nationwide to adopt a uniform set of terms to better communicate with residents about what plastics to recycle. [ytplayer id='H9rrQyNVtiA' width='908' height='440' playerid='new-communications-tools-for-recycling-professionals']

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Increase Collection Rates

Most consumers are eager to recycle plastics, but get confused by the resin identification code system. Oftentimes these codes can be difficult to locate and hard to read. Ninety-five percent of all plastic bottles are PET or HDPE. Educating consumers to recycle "all plastic bottles," therefore, is a clear and effective message that can increase recovery and reduce unwanted contaminants. Encourage consumers to Check the Neck℠ to identify bottles. (A bottle should be defined as a container with a neck smaller than its base.) Also remind residents that plastic bottles are used both in the home and on the go. Encourage them to collect plastic bottles from the bath, kitchen, and pantry at home, and from sports events, other outings, and the car.  

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Bottle Recycling Education

Packaging designers and brand owners are always working on developing new, innovative products to reach sustainability objectives, freshen a look, meet new technical requirements, deliver added features or enhance consumer benefits. Bottles, jugs, containers, caps, closures, and films continuously evolve – and recycling methods and standards evolve with them.  Below are a few  challenges and issues recyclers encounter and educational resources to help. [learn_more caption="Shrink Sleeve Labels" state="open"] The use of shrink sleeves has been growing in recent  years.  The Association of Post Consumer Plastics Recyclers (APR) estimates that shrink sleeve labels are present in 7-9 percent of the recycling stream.  That's up from just over 5 percent in 2012. APR provides technical resources and other information on shrink sleeve labels, including- Shrink Sleeve Label Study Powerpoint: Full Wrap Shrink Sleeve Labels: A Recycler's Dilemma [/learn_more]        

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