NAPCOR, APR and PETRA Report Seventh
Straight Year of U.S.
PET Recycling Rate Increase
The
National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), The Association of
Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR), and the PET Resin Association (PETRA)
announce the release of the “2010 Report on Post Consumer PET Container
Recycling Activity” and a 2010 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container
recycling rate of 29%. This is the seventh straight year that the United States’
recycling rate has increased. Total PET collected for recycling was also
highest to date, as was the use of recycled PET in end-use applications, at more
than 1.5 and 1 billion pounds, respectively.
“NAPCOR
is pleased to report these consistent increases in the PET recycling rate, year
over year, and is committed to building on this trend,” says Tom Busard, NAPCOR
Chairman and Vice President, Global Procurement and Material Systems, Plastipak
Packaging, Inc. “PET recycling and use of recycled PET in new products and
packaging are integral components of what PET offers as a sustainable package;
it’s important to NAPCOR to foster and facilitate this essential component of
the PET package premise.”
The
2010 Report also details the end uses for a record 1,002 million pounds of
recycled PET utilized in manufacturing applications, reflecting increases over
2009 in Sheet & Film, Food & Beverage Bottles, Strapping, and Fiber
end-use categories.
“Recycling
plastic such as PET and reprocessing it for next-life use is not only critical
to the viability of our industry, but it’s simply good practice, both
environmentally and economically,” says Scott Saunders, APR Chairman and
General Manager of KW Plastics Recycling. “Recycling and remanufacturing of
recycled material captures and repurposes the value inherent in the material,
provides local jobs, and local tax revenues.”
This
is the sixth year that NAPCOR, the APR, and PETRA have partnered to produce this Report
and the sixteenth year that NAPCOR has issued the Report in its current format.
“The PET Recycling Rate Report provides an
important industry benchmark as well as a valuable snapshot of recycling
trends,” says John Cullen, Chairman of PETRA’s Sustainability Committee and
Commercial Manager of DAK Americas LLC.
Founded
in 1987, the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) is the
trade association for the PET plastic packaging industry in the United States and Canada. NAPCOR is dedicated to the
promotion of the PET package; to overcoming hurdles to the successful recycling
of PET; and to the communication of the attributes of the PET container as a
sustainable package.
The
Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) is the national trade
association representing companies who acquire, reprocess, and sell the output
of more than 90% of the post-consumer plastic processing capacity in North
America. Founded in 1992, its membership includes independent recycling
companies of all sizes, processing numerous resins. APR strongly advocates the
recycling of all post-consumer plastic packaging.
PETRA
is the trade association representing North America’s
producers of PET resin. It is dedicated to promoting the benefits and value of
PET and PET resin products, educating the public about the safety and uses of
PET, and providing accurate technical and scientific information about PET.
The
full “2010 Report on Post Consumer PET Container Recycling Activity” can be
found on the NAPCOR and APR web sites,www.napcor.comandwww.plasticsrecycling.org
