HDPE Bottle Recycling Rate Reaches 32 Percent

Steven Averett, Content Director, Waste Group

November 7, 2013

1 Min Read
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Plastic bottle recycling by consumers increased by 161 million pounds in 2012, up 6.2 percent, to reach nearly 2.8 billion pounds for the year, according to figures released jointly by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers and the American Chemistry Council. Meanwhile, the recycling rate for all plastic bottles rose 1.6 percent to 30.5 percent for the year. It is the 23rd consecutive year that the plastic bottle recycling rate has increased, since the organizations began conducting the survey in 1990.

During 2012, the collection of high-density polyethylene (HDPE, #2) bottles — a category that includes milk jugs and bottles for household cleaners and detergents — rose 45.3 million pounds to top 1 billion pounds for the first time, helping to boost the recycling rate for HDPE bottles from 29.9 to 31.6 percent.

“We are very encouraged by the steady growth in plastic bottle recycling,” said Steve Alexander, executive director of APR, in a press release. “Used plastics are valuable materials, and recyclers rely on all of us to make sure these resources make it into a recycling bin.”

About the Author

Steven Averett

Content Director, Waste Group, Waste360

Steven Averett joined the Waste Age staff in February 2006. Since then he has helped the magazine expand its coverage and garner a range of awards from FOLIO, the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Magazine Association of the Southeast (MAGS). He recently won a Gold Award from ASBPE for humor writing.

Before joining Waste Age, Steven spent three years as the staff writer for Industrial Engineer magazine, where he won a gold GAMMA Award from MAGS for Best Feature. He has written and edited material covering a wide range of topics, including video games, film, manufacturing, and aeronautics.

Steven is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a BA in English.

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