Plastics Recycling Market Guide

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE, #1)

PETE is a clear, tough plastic with good gas and moisture barrier properties.

Typical End Uses

This plastic is used in soft drink bottles and other blow-molded containers, although sheet applications are increasing. Cleaned, recycled PETE flakes and pellets are in great demand for spinning fiber for carpet yarns and producing fiberfill and geotextiles. Other applications include strapping, molding compounds, and food and non food containers. (American Plastics Council, adapted from Modern Plastics Encyclopedia, 1995.) See National Association for Plastic Container Recovery (NAPCOR) http://www.napcor.com/index.html for more complete information on PETE resin, recycling, and marketing information.

Supply

In 1997, 4.2 billion pounds of virgin thermoplastic polyester resin were produced in the U.S (SPI). In March 1996, Franklin & Associates estimated for EPA the amount of PETE in products discarded in the municipal waste stream. Franklin & Associates estimated that 780,000 tons of PETE products were discarded in the waste stream in 1994. Franklin also estimated that 350,000 tons of PETE were recycled in the U.S. in 1994.

The CIWMB's Rigid Plastics Packaging program has estimated the amount of PETE rigid containers sold in California at about 121,000 tons in 1996, with about 44,000 tons recovered in the state.

See also the Society of the Plastics Industries (SPI) Web site at http://www.socplas.org for information and data on PETE production, and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Web site at http://www.edf.org/pubs/Reports/PlasticsRecycling/ for information and data on PETE plastic production and recycling in the U.S.

Demand

Estimates are not available for the amount of PETE postconsumer resin (PCR) used as manufacturing feedstock in California. In general, recycled PETE can be incorporated and is used to manufacture the following items:

• Beverage containers
• Clothing
• Hats
• Luggage
• Health care product containers
• Fiberfill (insulation)
• Carpet
• Furniture
• Strapping

NAPCOR provides a complete listing of companies using PCR PETE and products manufactured from recycled PETE. The CIWMB maintains a recycled-content product database, which provides company names (manufacturers, distributors, etc.) for selected household and industrial products.

Links

• National Association for Plastic Container Recovery (NAPCOR) is a national trade association dedicated to promoting the collection and recycling of PETE (#1) plastic.
• Clean Washington Center is the organization in the State of Washington that develops markets for recycled materials.
• American Plastics Council (APC) is the major national trade association representing the U.S. plastics industry on resource conservation issues.
• Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) is a trade association of over 2,000 members representing all segments of the plastics industry in the United States.

Last updated: March 24, 2008