The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), Sacramento; the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington, D.C.; and the PET Resin Association (PETRA), New York, have announced the release of the 2009 Report on Post Consumer PET Container Recycling Activity. The annual report notes that the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) recycling rate in the United States in 2009 reached 28 percent, the sixth straight year the recycling rate has increased.
According to the report, the recycling rate increase came despite a 4 percent decline in the total PET containers available for recycling.
“This steady climb in the PET recycling rate illustrates a continued commitment to recycling, and it’s something the APR will certainly continue to foster,” says Scott Saunders, APR chairman and general manager of KW Plastics Recycling, Troy, Ala. “Recycling PET bottles and reprocessing them for next-life use captures and repurposes the valuable energy resources inherent in the material. For APR membership, this exemplifies responsible, energy-efficient raw materials resource management.”
The report also details the end uses for the 937 million pounds of recycled PET used in manufacturing applications last year, including significant increases compared with 2008 in sheet and film, food and beverage bottles and non-food bottles end-use categories.
“It’s gratifying for NAPCOR to be able to report continued increases in the PET recycling rate, and we remain committed to working with our industry partners to meet the increased demand for recycled PET,” says Tom Busard, NAPCOR chairman and vice president of global procurement and material systems for Plastipak Packaging Inc., Plymouth, Mich. “Capturing the value of recycled PET material and using that material in the manufacture of new packaging and other goods is a key element of sustainable practice.”
This is the fifth year that NAPCOR, the APR and PETRA have partnered to produce the report and the 15th year that NAPCOR has issued the report in its current format.
To view the full report, click here.
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