U.S. PET Bottle Recycling Hits Record Highs in 2023

The United States achieved a significant milestone in plastic recycling in 2023, with the PET bottle collection rate reaching 33%—the highest level recorded since 1996.

This marks a sharp increase from the 29% collection rate in 2022, demonstrating growing efforts to recover and reuse plastic materials.

Another major development was the rise in recycled PET (rPET) content in bottles and jars.

The average percentage of rPET incorporated into new bottles climbed to 16.2%, up from 13.2% the previous year.

This shift highlights an industry-wide commitment to increasing the use of recycled materials in packaging.

Despite a 9.8% decrease in the total number of PET bottles available for recycling, the volume of PET collected hit an all-time high of 1.962 billion pounds.

This achievement reflects ongoing collaborations between manufacturers, consumers, retailers, and recyclers, all working toward improving PET collection and processing.

Industry leaders credit this progress to enhanced consumer awareness, advancements in recycling technology, and policies promoting circular economies.

As demand for recycled plastics continues to grow, experts anticipate further increases in collection rates and rPET usage in the coming years.

With sustainability becoming a core focus for both businesses and consumers, these figures signal a positive shift toward reducing plastic waste and maximizing the lifespan of PET materials.

The data for these findings was reported by the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR).

For more details, the full article can be accessed at NAPCOR’s website.