There are several misconceptions regarding PET bottle recycling that may need to be cleared up for the bottle recycling rate to grow beyond its current 27 percent level. That was among the views expressed at a WasteExpo session on plastic recycling.
Keefe Harrison of the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) spelled out several “myths” regarding plastic recycling in her presentation. Harrison said there are still widely held beliefs that plastics “are not easily recycled” and that there are no end markets for materials such as PET bottles.
She noted instead that PET bottles are heavily in demand as a recyclable commodity from manufacturers in North America, Asia and throughout the world. In North America, beverage companies are investing to use PET bottles in bottle-to-bottle applications that will increase the demand for the material.
Panelist David Bender, CEO of Pure Tech Plastics, East Farmingdale, N.Y., represented one of the growing domestic consumers referred to by Harrison. Pure Tech produces clean PET pellet and flake used in several end markets. Bender said “brand owners are demanding recycled PET, and that’s good news for us.”
The biggest challenge, as Bender portrayed it, is raising the PET bottle collection rate past 27 percent to satisfy the growing demand. The demand for the material is reflected in its increased value, he also noted. “Today washed recycled PET sells for more than virgin pellets; that’s just astounding.”
On the collection side, he commended Pepsi and Waste Management’s effort to place up to 3,000 collection kiosks around the country to help harvest more bottles. “It’s all about portability capture,” he said of the new program.
Bender also urged attendees to keep PET bottles in North America to meet the growing demand from manufacturers investing in recycling.
Panelist Kevin Cronin, CEO of Nicos Polymers, Nazareth, Pa., gave an overview of the spread of plastics recycling in industrial and commercial applications. He said his company has a growing presence in post-consumer recycling, but the core of Nicos’ business is with industrial and commercial customers.
Cronin remarked that companies have become more attuned to the financial and environmental benefits of recycling, but that audits his company conducts often reveal that “there are still companies missing opportunities.”
WasteExpo took place at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta May 3-6.