PET

Recycling PET bottles: these don't have to linger for centuries!

What are PET bottles and jars? Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is commonly used to produce containers for bottled water, beverages, food and other products. According to Wikipedia, approximately 60% of PET production today is used for synthetic fibers (polyester) and 30% for bottle production.

Recycling PET can be problematic. It is subject to various forms of degradation during processing, such as discoloration, and loss of molecular weight that impacts its structural strength. Manufacturers typically mix recycled PET with virgin PET resin to minimize these affects and lower their costs.

Most recycled PET is shipped overseas for manufacturing into home insulation, carpet, garments, and other products. Recycled PET plastics can also be made into non-food product containers, but are not typically made into new beverage or food containers.

A popular recycle method is to mix crushed recycled PET pellets into virgin PET resins, producing an end product of up to 20% recycled material.

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