U.S. Collection of Postconsumer PET Hits All-Time High
PET bottle collection rates rebounded in 2021 after declining in the preceding years.
The newly released from the (NAPCOR) documents increases in the collection of postconsumer PET for 2021. A record 1.9 billion lb of postconsumer PET was collected in the U.S. alone. The U.S. rate increased from 27.1 to 28.6% while the overall combined rate for U.S., Canada, and Mexico increased from 34.2 to 36.8%.
“The 2021 increase is a powerful indicator that pandemic-driven disruptions to recycling services are getting back on track,” said Laura Stewart, executive director at NAPCOR.
PET collection rates returned to pre-pandemic levels, bringing volume to an all-time high.
Photo Credit: NAPCOR
PET collected via deposit redemption also rebounded, up 46% compared to 2020.
The US RPET textile fiber industry faced higher prices and more competition for clear RPET in 2021, but still achieved a total RPET fiber production of over 1 billion pounds. This was achieved by sourcing greater volumes of colored RPET flake (57%) and greater volumes of post-industrial RPET flake (11%) compared to 2019.
Trends in recycled PET use in fiber and bottle segments.
Photo Credit: NAPCOR
NAPCOR also reported a sign of circularity in thermoformed trays: 11 million lb were recycled by converters into new thermoformed products. Collection of thermoformed PET products set a record at 142 millon lb.
NAPCOR is an industry association for the PET packaging industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Related Content
-
Flexible-Film Processor Optimizes All-PE Food Packaging
Tobe Packaging’s breakthrough was to create its Ecolefin PE multilayer film that could be applied with a specialized barrier coating.
-
Coca-Cola’s Redesign of Small PET Bottles Pushes Lightweighting Below Prior ‘Floor’
Coca-Cola thought it had reached the limits of lightweighting for its small PET carbonated soft drink bottles. But a “complete redesign” led to a further 12% reduction.
-
Multilayer Solutions to Challenges in Blow Molding with PCR
For extrusion blow molders, challenges of price and availability of postconsumer recycled resins can be addressed with a variety of multilayer technologies, which also offer solutions to issues with color, processability, mechanical properties and chemical migration in PCR materials.
