PET bottles pass the 50% collection point

Brussels-based non-profit industry association Petcore (PET containers recycling Europe), reports that European post-sorting PET collection reached 1.59 million tons in 2011 – an increase of 140,000 tons or 9.4% on 2010.

The overall collection rate in 2011 was a record 51% of all PET bottles in the market, while net exports of PET bales to the Far East fell for the third year running.

All but three of the surveyed countries have a collection rate above the 22.5% target rate for plastic recovery set by the EU Packaging Waste Directive. The collection rate by country depends on the maturity and extent of their collection systems as well as economic instruments in place. Collection rates of over 70% are being recorded by about a third of the countries surveyed.

It is estimated there is a total mechanical reclamation capacity in the EU27+4 of around 1.9 million tons, so PET recyclers still have capacity available to absorb a large increase in PET collection.

More than 50% of the resulting rPET was used to produce containers or sheet for new packaging applications in 2011 with the share of fibres for nonwovens and textiles as an end use for recycled PET flake remaining at 39%. The strapping market for rPET increased slightly to just over 100,000 tons.

“The extra 140,000 tons collected in 2011 represents a further 5.6 billion bottles recycled,” said Petcore chairman Roberto Bertaggia “The PET industry chain has worked with compliance agencies, national bodies and European recyclers to achieve the record collection.”

Capacity utilisation at existing PET recycling plants, however, is only 77% at present.

“Recycled PET is a reliable and sought-after feedstock in the PET value chain and sustainable, long life uses are being developed to utilise the growing supply of recycled PET,” said Bertaggia. “Whether PET bottles are recycled into another bottle, fibre, sheet, strapping tape or one of the new applications the energy saving will be significant.”