Recycle

What is Recycling?

Recycling is the third R of the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Recycling means taking a product or material at the end of its useful life and turning it into a usable raw material to make another product.

What is PET?

PET or polyethylene terephthalate, is the material of choice for a growing number of bottlers. In many respects, PET is one of the miracle packaging materials of the last century. Its versatility is astounding. New uses are developed year after year, creating economies or other benefits in countless applications.

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. Now stop for a second and think about what just happened. You just threw away your plastic bottle instead of recycling it. What are the repercussions of these actions?

Americans buy an estimated 28 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 four percent of the U.S.'s energy consumption. In 2006, it took more than 17 million barrels of oil (excluding the oil used in transporting the plastic) to produce plastic bottles..

The manufacturing process of creating bottled water created more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide. It also takes more than three liters of water to create one liter of bottled water.

There is a large amount of energy needed to fill plastic bottles with water, transport them to the store, keep them cool and dispose of them. It is estimated that the total amount of energy used to bottle water is equivalent of filling a bottle a quarter full of oil.

The amount of oil used to produce plastic water bottles in America is enough to fuel about 100,000 cars for a year. Only 13 percent of water bottles are recycled. About 80 percent of all municipal solid waste ends up in a landfill, while 10 percent is incinerated and only 10 percent is recycled. Because about less than one percent of all plastics is recycled, almost all plastics are incinerated or end up in a landfill.

Benefits of Recycling Plastic Bottles

Plastic is an integral and useful part of our daily lives. Lightweight and shatterproof, plastic beverage bottles are among the most commonly used plastics. For this reason, plastics and plastic bottles account for a large amount of generated waste, and plastic bottles are among the most recycled plastics. Even so, the plastic bottle recycling rate was only 24.3 percent in 2005.

Still, there is so much more we all can do. But, why should we?

Oil Conservation

Recycling a ton of plastic bottles saves approximately 3.8 barrels of oil.

Energy Conservation

Recycling one pound of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles, which include soft drink and water bottles, saves approximately 12,000 BTUs (British thermal unit) of heat energy. And, producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses 2/3 less energy than is required to make products from raw (virgin) materials.

Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

When recycled material is substituted for virgin material, which requires more processing, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Beneficial Reuse

Recycled bottles provide an environmentally friendly source for making new products and substitutes recycled materials for new plastic. Recycled plastic bottles make hundreds of everyday products, including, but not limited to, fleece jackets, carpeting, and lumber for outdoor decking.

Greater Recycled Plastic Supply and Demand

According to the American Chemistry Council, the demand for recycled plastics exceeds the available supply, and demand is liable to increase given current 'green' trends. Beyond this, the number of plastics recycling businesses has increased dramatically in the United States in recent years.

Save Landfill Space

Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.

Tips on Recycling Plastic Bottles

It seems our thirst for the stuff in plastic bottles cannot be quenched. From plastic containers of soda, juice, and energy drinks to the most ubiquitous, water, plastic bottles are everywhere. We all know the benefits of recycling plastic bottles, but the varied regulations addressing recycling programs can be a little confusing.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, "More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day." What's more, plastic bottles take hundreds of years to decompose.

These billions of bottles are destined for the landfill unless conscientious consumers are committed to recycling them.

How Plastic Bottles are Recycled

When looking at your typical water bottle, it's hard to envision that stiff plastic as part of a gentle carpet or cozy jacket filling, but that's exactly what the future holds for many recycled bottles.

How a Plastic Bottle is Recycled

1.After bottles are collected at a recycling center, they are squished into a huge bale for shipping. Each bale weighs from 800 to 1,200 pounds and could contain 6,400 to 7,200 soda bottles.

2.ales are shipped to a reclaiming company, where a machine called a bale breaker rips apart the bales. The pieces then go through a machine where they are shredded into tiny flakes, "like paper in a paper shredder," according to Tom Lauria, vice president of the International Bottled Water Association.

3.After being washed and dried, the flakes are melted.

4.The liquid plastic is formed into pellets or beads, which can be developed into various plastic products, sometimes more plastic bottles. From here on out, the "possibilities are endless," Lauria said.

5.The plastic is often spun into a very fine thread-like material through a process paralleling the spinning of cotton candy. This can be used to make carpets, clothing or filling for jackets and quilts. The thin plastic has good insulation properties.

 

A Green Promise