PLASTIC FACTS

Recycling Quantities and Rates

* Over 2.1 billion pounds of post-consumer plastic bottles were recycled during 2005, accounting for 24 percent (by weight) of all plastic bottles produced in the United States.
* Post-consumer plastic bottle recycling has increased dramatically over the last 16 years, from 234 million pounds in 1989 to over 2.1 billion pounds in 2005.
* 96% of all plastic bottles in the United States market are manufactured from PET or HDPE (57% and 39% respectively).
* HDPE and PET bottles showed the highest recycling rates of any plastic bottles types, at 27.1 and 23.1 percent respectively.
* Domestic capacity to reclaim PET and HDPE plastic bottles exceeds recycled quantities, stressing the need to reinvigorate community collection programs. Source: ACC's 2005 National Post-Consumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Study, R.W. Beck, Inc. 2006.

Markets for Recycled Plastics

* 54% of recycled PET finds a market in the manufacture of fiber (carpet and clothing).
* Other large markets for recycled PET are strapping (15%) and new containers (21%, for food and non-food).
* 43% of recycled HDPE bottles go into making new bottles.
* The plastic pipe industry consumes 22% of the recycled HDPE.
* Other strong markets for HDPE are for lawn and garden products (such as edging), plastic lumber (decks, benches, picnic tables), film and sheet, and a variety of injection molding products (buckets, crates and automobile parts). Source: ACC's 2005 National Post-Consumer Plastics Bottle Recycling Study, R.W. Beck, Inc. 2006 and NAPCOR’s 2005 Report on Post Consumer PET Container Recycling Activity, 2006.