Because of PET’s full recyclability and wide variety of uses, the market for recycled PET is limited only by the amount of material that is collected from consumers and recycling facilities.

Please Recycle

To make the most of PET’s environmental benefits and sustainability, consumers and businesses need to participate in recycling. Even though PET is the most recycled plastic in the U.S., with a recycling rate of approximately 31%, we need to improve. The PET recycling rate in the European Union is 52%

Unfortunately, many Americans throw their used PET bottles into the trash rather than the recycle bin, which means they end up in landfills instead of being recycled for new uses.

Because PET is inert and resistant to attack by micro-organisms, PET bottles and containers that find their way to the landfill pose no risk of leaching or contaminating groundwater, and take up relatively little landfill space since they are easily crushed. The EPA estimates that only 1% of municipal solid waste in the U.S. is attributed to PET containers.

Nevertheless, the one-time use and disposal of PET containers is a waste of a highly valued material that can be easily recovered and re-used again and again. Greene Concepts strongly supports the reduction of waste, recycling and re-use of materials whenever possible.  Recycling PET bottles and containers is a simple and environmentally responsible way to a more sustainable future.

For more information about recycling and its importance, visit Earth911.