Get in the Know on PET Plastic Recycling Myths  

Not all end-users are clear on whether the items they know to be recyclable, such as glass, corrugate and plastic, are being moved through the right recycling streams once the items they’ve placed into a bin are collected by material recovery facilities (MRFs). This may cause them to lose interest in contributing to circular recycling.  
 
Truth:  
 
While recycling programs vary across the U.S., the vast majority of plastics collected for recycling do get recycled. It is important for brand owners’ packaging to communicate what end-users need to do with the packaging at the end of its life; for example, a brand owner should help an end-user know whether they can recycle package from home curbside of if they should take it to a store drop-off location. 
 
Overall, it is key for end-users to understand that accepted recyclables do get recycled, whereas plastics that end up in trash will never enter the recycling stream for second or third generational use.  

With sustainability becoming a growing interest among end-users, it is easy to mistake terminology or not fully understand how recycling connects to the idea of a circular system. This confusion can cause end-users to think they are not really contributing to circular recycling by simply placing plastic packaging in a recycling bin.  
 
Truth:  
 
Entering PET packaging into the circular system is a form of recycling. Circular recycling enables a PET package to be broken down and reformed into new packaging, enabling numerous generational usage. Rather than creating new plastic material each time PET packaging is needed, forming recycled plastic into new materials reduces energy consumption to decrease carbon emissions, helping improve the environment. Both bottle and tray packaging containers are growing markets for recycled PET packaging, while durable goods markets also provide options to reuse PET materials in mixed colors. While end-users may be aware of “the circular system” terminology, it’s up to label converters and brand owners to clearly identify how PET packaging plays a critical role in enhancing circular recycling; this will help end-users understand that their recycling efforts have an impact in decreasing carbon emissions with keeping current plastic in use rather than making new plastic. 
 

Without a clear idea of how recycling improves environmental footprint, end-users may be under the impression that recycling PET materials leads to brand new plastic.  
 
Truth:  
 
By recycling more often, plastic that is already developed will continue being reused, which decreases the need to make brand new plastic. This means less plastic will be used overall because there is less virgin plastic being manufactured into new bottles, trays and other PET packaging.  
 
Additionally, MRFs have the capabilities today to recycle more PET material. This means if more end-users contribute PET packaging to the recycling stream, the yield of PET material will increase, allowing more PET packaging to stem from recycled materials rather than new plastic. This will also result in less carbon emissions due to decreased energy usage that’s required for creating new plastic. While reducing plastic use is also important, recycling is the best option for the plastic that is already in use.