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NAPCOR and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (collectively, “NAPCOR”) issued an October 31, 2017, report titled:

Postconsumer PET Container Recycling Activity in 2016 (“Report”)

The Report is described as providing a detailed overview of the recycling of injection stretch blow molded polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) bottles and jars in the United States during 2016.

The Report concludes that in 2016 approximately 6,172 million pounds of PET bottles were sold in the United States. Further, it states that approximately 28.4 percent of these were collected through recycling programs and sold to either domestic or foreign markets.

U.S. PET reclaimers are stated to have supplemented those collected bottles in the United States with imported materials and alternative feedstocks. They processed a total of 1,526 million pounds of material.

The 6,172 million pounds of PET bottles sold is stated to have constituted a greater than three percent increase over 2015.

Market factors affecting PET bottle volume available for recycling were identified. A negative impact on market demand was stated to be a continued decline in carbonated soft drink sales. However, the Report indicates that this impact was counteracted by significant growth in the bottled water and other beverage categories (referencing teas, sports drinks and juices).

Some market growth was stated to have been driven by conversion from other resins into PET (referencing household goods and health and beauty sectors). Also described is “some reduction in single-serve pack sizes.”

Light-weighting is stated to have “leveled off in large part” (citing certain exceptions). The availability of low-priced virgin PET resin is also stated to have played a role in PET package growth in 2016.

The Report also describes:

• PET bottle bale markets
• Reclamation capacity
• PET bottle material utilization rates
• 2016 RPET market

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.