“Landfill is not an option we entertain.” Juan Hernandez, President of Valemi Inc., Coalition Grantee
About the PET Recycling Coalition
Together with brands, communities, recyclers, and plastic manufacturers, the PET Recycling Coalition is taking targeted on-the-ground action to remove barriers to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling and deliver on the benefits of a better recycling system.
Formed in June 2022, the Coalition builds upon The Recycling Partnership’s years of expertise and industry knowledge to improve the circularity of PET. The Coalition is increasing PET bottle recycling rates, boosting curbside recycling access for non-bottle PET materials, making it easier to collect and process pigmented and opaque PET, and ensuring community participation through awareness and education.
“The PET Recycling Coalition’s work towards getting more PET thermoforms collected and recycled is fully aligned with our mission, and we are proud to play a part in making thermoform recycling more accessible for Americans.”
Dan Kuehn, President and CEO at Plastic Ingenuity
About PET
PET bottles are highly recyclable, yet only 28% are recycled. Other types of PET packaging like plastic egg cartons, fruit containers, trays, and tubs are recycled at a significantly lower rate – 9%.
- Companies want more recycled PET for packaging to meet corporate commitments and evolving regulatory requirements
- MRFs want to increase the amount and types of PET forms collected and deliver more PET to reclaimers
- Reclaimers need more PET from MRFs to increase production of recycled PET to companies for use in new products and packaging
The PET Recycling Coalition is eliminating barriers to improve acceptance, increase capture, and deliver higher-quality recycled PET to responsible end markets.
The Coalition has invested in on-the-ground initiatives in pursuit of three milestones:
Increase capture by 250 million lbs./year by 2027
The Coalition has awarded grants to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), secondary sorters, and reclaimers to improve capture and generate more PET material to sell to end markets. One of the first grants resulted in the installation of a robotic sorter at Caglia Environmental that sorts clear PET bottles, thermoforms, and pigmented/opaque PET into separate streams.
Achieve 60% access for PET thermoforms by 2025
Part of the reason thermoforms lag behind their bottle counterparts is a lack of end markets to sell the materials. Part of the Coalition’s plan is supporting innovations in thermoform-to-thermoform recycling, making these materials more valuable for MRFs to capture. This has led to stories like Susan’s, whose son seems to eat his weight in berries. She’s now able to take up to six berry containers a week destined for the landfill in Nashville and simply put them into her curbside recycling bin.
Create resilient recycling at scale for pigmented/opaque PET by 2025
While demand for recycled and re-processed clear bottles outweighs supply, demand for recycled materials from pigmented and opaque PET is insufficient and inconsistent. To reach this milestone, the Coalition is working to strengthen end markets while seeking an improved designation from industry-accepted recyclability assessment programs, making these forms of PET more attractive to all stakeholders.
Learn More About Our Progress
Download the PET Recycling Coalition Annual ReportResults by the Numbers (as of July 2024)
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To date, 23 recycling facilities have received over $5 million in grants to support increased capture effectiveness and recovery from the residential recycling stream, add capacity, or improve sorting capabilities
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29 million new pounds per year of recycled PET
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1.4 million households now have access to recycle non-bottle PET
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Map: PET grantees as of July 2024
Advancing PET Recycling: Four Stories of Impact
The PET Recycling Coalition is driving meaningful change in PET recycling. These case studies highlight on-the-ground initiatives that are breaking down barriers, improving recycling infrastructure, and creating new opportunities for circularity. From state-of-the-art facilities enhancing PET recovery to community-driven solutions expanding access to recycling, these case studies showcase how collaboration and targeted investments are shaping the future of PET recycling.
A Hybrid Facility Supporting Plastics Recycling in California and Beyond – Valemi, Pico Rivera, California
The Pico Rivera MRF, operated by Valemi Inc., is scaling up its capacity to sort clear, pigmented, and opaque PET by 70%, supported by a PET Recycling Coalition grant. This hybrid facility aggregates materials from multiple sources to create high-quality PET bales while boosting recovery of challenging non-bottle PET.
Ice River’s End-to-End Solution for PET Recycling – Ice River Sustainable Solutions, Ontario, Canada
Ice River Sustainable Solutions exemplifies circularity by processing 55 million pounds of PET annually and expanding to recycle 30 million more pounds. By reusing caps and closures for outdoor furniture, the company minimizes waste while pioneering the use of pigmented and opaque PET.
New Recycling Facility in Alabama Will Be Catalyst for Expansion – Baldwin County, Alabama
Baldwin County’s first MRF will serve over 100,000 households, processing up to 80 million pounds of material annually. Supported by a PET Recycling Coalition grant, it features advanced sorting technology to capture 1.3 million pounds of PET each year, paving the way for expanded recycling access across the region.
Capturing More PET Across the Recycling Stream – Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Set to begin in 2025, Mecklenburg County’s $25.7 million MRF retrofit will add advanced optical sorting technology, enabling non-bottle PET recycling for the first time. Supported by a PET Recycling Coalition grant, the upgrades will capture 5.6 million more pounds of PET annually and improve bale purity. Public education campaigns will inform residents about the expanded recycling capabilities, driving greater participation.
