The PET Recycling Coalition, a part of The Recycling Partnership, has issued its initial annual report highlighting tangible advancements in the circularity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Source: Recycling Product News

Launched in June 2022, the coalition provides grants to material recovery facilities (MRFs), secondary sorters, and reclaimers to enhance acceptance rates, increase collection rates, and deliver superior-quality recycled PET to responsible end markets. Within just two years, the coalition has united key stakeholders to tackle major obstacles hindering the recyclability and circularity of PET. Through member support, over $5 million in grant funding has been utilized, resulting in the recovery of 29 million additional pounds of recycled PET annually.

Since PET recycling commenced in 1970, the journey towards circularity has encountered numerous challenges, including limited household access to curbside or drop-off PET collection sites, inadequate MRF acceptance of certain PET materials like non-bottle PET, and insufficient MRF sorting practices to ensure high-quality material for end markets. The coalition's grants address these hurdles by facilitating upgrades to MRF facilities, enhancing sorting capabilities, and engaging communities to elevate recycling rates for residential PET, non-bottle PET, as well as pigmented and opaque PET. The PET Recycling Coalition aims to boost the annual recycling of an extra 250 million pounds of PET by the close of 2027 and achieve a non-bottle PET acceptance rate exceeding 60% by the end of 2025.

Through collaborative efforts with producers, communities, recyclers, and manufacturers, The Recycling Partnership's PET Recycling Coalition is actively implementing targeted initiatives to:

• Enhance material recovery: Each year, 24 million pounds of new PET bottles and 5 million pounds of new non-bottle PET are successfully recovered, processed, and integrated into the recycling stream, reducing landfill waste. For instance, the Pico Rivera facility in Los Angeles, California, received a coalition grant leading to a 70% annual increase in recycled waste through upgraded equipment.
• Expand accessibility: Currently, 1.4 million households have access to non-bottle PET recycling, including 100,000 households in southwest Alabama's Baldwin County. A coalition grant has enabled the new Baldwin County MRF to process up to 80 million pounds of material annually, surpassing local household production and allowing for commercial processing.
• Improve the recycling system: Recycling facilities are innovating by utilizing optical sorters to separate PET bottles from non-bottle PET items like cups, tubs, and trays. Nearly 850,000 residents in the Charlotte, North Carolina area can now recycle non-bottle PET, thanks to a coalition grant.

Since its establishment a decade ago, The Recycling Partnership has allocated over $70 million across 450 grants to enhance local recycling access, education, and infrastructure in more than 100 recycling facilities. These investments not only boost PET recycling but also enhance collection and processing for all recyclable materials.