Benefits of Recycling Plastic Bottles

Plastic is an integral and useful part of our daily lives. Lightweight and shatterproof, plastic beverage bottles are among the most commonly used plastics. For this reason, plastics and plastic bottles account for a large amount of generated waste, and plastic bottles are among the most recycled plastics. Even so, the plastic bottle recycling rate was only 24.3 percent in 2005.

Still, there is so much more we all can do. But, why should we?

Oil Conservation

Recycling a ton of plastic bottles saves approximately 3.8 barrels of oil.

Energy Conservation

Recycling one pound of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles, which include soft drink and water bottles, saves approximately 12,000 BTUs (British thermal unit) of heat energy. And, producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses 2/3 less energy than is required to make products from raw (virgin) materials.

Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

When recycled material is substituted for virgin material, which requires more processing, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.

Beneficial Reuse

Recycled bottles provide an environmentally friendly source for making new products and substitutes recycled materials for new plastic. Recycled plastic bottles make hundreds of everyday products, including, but not limited to, fleece jackets, carpeting, and lumber for outdoor decking.

Greater Recycled Plastic Supply and Demand

According to the American Chemistry Council, the demand for recycled plastics exceeds the available supply, and demand is liable to increase given current ‘green’ trends. Beyond this, the number of plastics recycling businesses has increased dramatically in the United States in recent years.

Save Landfill Space

Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.

Sources

American Chemistry Council. 2007. Info Sheet. March http://www.americanchemistry.com

Environmental Protection Agency. 2008. Environmental Benefits of Recycle on the Go. Accessed May 08. http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/onthego/benefits/index.htm.

National Dairy Council. 2008. The Benefits of Recycling Plastic Milk Bottles. http://www.NutritionExplorations.org.

SKS Bottle and Packaging, Inc. 2004. SKS Bottle - Recycle Plastic Containers. August 30. http://www.sks-bottle.com/Recycle_Plastic.html.