PETE; why a low recycling rate and a low risk
PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) has an approximate 20% recycling rate which is moderately low. It poses a very low risk when it is recycled at “green” plants. Easy to recycle, light weight, and inexpensive as beverage containers, the majority of our population flocks to purchase them. This material is also in high demand with remanufacturers. This material’s most common use is seen most frequently in “single-use” bottled plastic.
Why PETE is so versatile
Just when it seems as if the U.S. has already become one huge plastic kingdom, PETE finds more versatile uses for itself. The comprehensive material can now be found in; our medical devices, toys, cars, clothing, utensils, and home goods to name a few. It’s also taking the life out of our water passages, shocking our ocean life, and littering the streets in which we live. What’s even more alarming is how do we wander through the confusion of the different types of rules and plastic? Below are some helpful hints to help you battle the confusion.
PETE: the Number 1 Plastic
PETE or PET; what are the recycled items, where are they recycled, and where are they located
- Recyclable items: Furniture, paneling, carpet, straps, new containers, and Polar Fleece.
- Recycling Areas: Curbside recycling programs, and designated recycling facilities in different cities
- Location: Water, soft drinks, oven safe food trays, beer bottles, peanut butter containers, salad dressing, and mouthwash bottles to name a few.
Some people have often wondered why does my facility only take type 1 PETE or PET plastic bottles but not food trays? The answer is simple. When the PETE or PET plastic bottles go through a waste facility, something very specific happens. Only the clear bottles that a robotic system or the people approaching the conveyer belts can be easy to detect. A large percentage of food trays, although recyclable, are not Type 1 plastic, and the reliability in waste conscious customers sorting them out correctly, has posed varied results. Waste processing companies, in turn, do not trust trays to be representative of Type 1.
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