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The National Association for PET Container Resources (“NAPCOR”) issued a document titled:
2023 PET RECYCLING REPORT (“Report”).
PET refers to polyethylene terephthalate.
The material is often used for soft drinks, fruit juices, and bottled water containers.
A news release announcing the Report includes findings such as:
- The United States’ PET bottle collection rate was 33% in 2023, which is stated to be up 4 percentage points from 29% in 2022 (stated to be the highest recycling rate in the United States since 1996).
- Average amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET used in United States bottles and jars was 16.2% in 2023, which is stated to be up 3 percentage points from 13.2% in 2022.
- Total number of PET bottles available for recycling in the United States was stated to have been 5,952 million pounds, which was down 9.8% from 6,599 million pounds in 2022.
The news release announcing the Report also notes:
…As a result of voluntary brand commitments and legislation including recent mandatory recycled content laws, the trend of increasing rPET content in US bottles has accelerated in recent years after remaining flat between six and seven percent between 2014 and 2017. In 2023, the rate of rPET content in US bottles reached an all-time high of 16.2 percent. The amount of rPET used in US bottles in 2023 increased to 966 million pounds from 870 million pounds in 2022, an 11 percent difference. Of the total usage of recycled PET in US and Canadian end markets, the fraction that went to bottle applications reached a new high of 59 percent in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 54 percent in 2022.
A link to the news release containing the Report can be found here.
