The recycling rate for PET bottled water has reached nearly 39 per cent, while the amount of PET plastic used in bottled water containers continues to drop, reports The International Bottled Water Association.
New data from the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) and the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) shows that the recycling rate for single-serve PET plastic bottled water containers has more than doubled in the last seven years. BMC found that over the last 11 years the average weight of a 16.9 ounce (half-litre) single-serve PET plastic bottled water container has dropped by almost 47.8 per cent, to 9.9 grams.
“The bottled water industry utilizes a variety of measures to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Chris Hogan, IBWA’s VP of communications, in a statement to media. “All bottled water containers are 100 per cent recyclable. And, when you do the math, it turns out that of all the plastics produced in the U.S., PET plastic bottled water packaging makes up only 0.92 per cent; less than one per cent. Moreover, plastic bottled water containers make up only one-third of one per cent of the U.S. waste stream, according to the EPA.”
Hogan says the significant increase in the recycling rate of PET plastic bottled water containers, coupled with the continuing decrease in container weight, underscores the consistent drive of the bottled water industry to improve recycling programs and reduce its overall environmental footprint.
Source – http://www.solidwastemag.com