On December 17, 2018, the industry groups Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) published the “2017 United States national postconsumer plastic bottle recycling report.” This year’s report shows that in 2017, 1.27 million metric tons of post-consumer plastic bottles were collected for recycling, marking a decline of 4% compared to 2016. The overall U.S. plastic bottle recycling collection rate decreased from 29.7% in 2016 to 29.3% in 2017. The report summarizes collected data for different plastic materials and highlights that the collection rate of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) increased, while the collection rate of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) bottles decreased (see tables below).
| Collected for recycling | 2017 | compared to 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| PET bottles | 782,901 t | -2% |
| HDPE bottles | 472,553 t | -6% |
| PP bottles | 14,106 t | -15% |
| Total plastic bottles | 1.27 mio t | -4% |
| Collection rate | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| PET bottles | 29.2% | 28.4% |
| HDPE bottles | 31.1% | 33.4% |
| PP bottles | 17.2% | 20.2% |
| Total plastic bottles | 29.3% | 29.7% |
Read more
ACC (December 17, 2017). “Plastic bottle recycling resilient in face of short-term challenges.”
Jim Johnson (December 17, 2018). “Faced with challenges, plastics recycling rate slips.” Plastics News
Reference
APR & ACC (2017). “2017 United States national postconsumer plastic bottle recycling report.” (pdf)
