ALEXANDRIA, VA.—On America Recycles Day (ARD), the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) applauded the efforts of bottled water drinkers to “recycle right,” as new research shows that PET bottled water containers are the most common drink container found in curbside recycling bins. The association encourages all consumers to remember the many benefits of always recycling any recyclable packaging.
Recycling reduces the amount of material headed for landfills, and it also drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions. New data from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) shows bottled water containers make up 53 percent of all PET plastic bottles in curbside bins. Soda containers account for 16 percent.
“When empty PET plastic bottled water containers—with caps on—are placed in a recycle bin, they have an 89 percent success rate of actually being fully recycled, according to NAPCOR. Using recycled material to make new bottles and other items reduces the need to use virgin plastic, which means less greenhouse gases are emitted in the manufacturing process of those products,” says IBWA Vice President of Communications Jill Culora.
The Focus of America Recycles Day
IBWA is a proud sponsor of ARD, an initiative of Keep America Beautiful that is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. ARD focuses on educating consumers about proper recycling practices and motivating them to improve their recycling habits to increase recycling rates.
The bottled water industry is aware that recycling can be confusing for consumers, but they should never hesitate to recycle bottled water containers. That’s because all bottled water bottles (made from plastic, glass and aluminum) are 100 percent recyclable. PET #1 (used to produce individual serving sized bottles and 1-, 3- and 5-gallon containers) and HDPE #2 (used for 1- and 2.5-gallon containers) continue to be the most recycled of all plastics in curbside bins. In addition, 3- and 5-gallon bottled water containers made from PC #7 are returned to bottlers who clean, sanitize, and refill them up to 40 times before recycling the containers.
Recycling all consumer packaging that is recyclable will:
- keep the material out of landfills;
- reduce the need for virgin material; and
- lessen greenhouse gas emissions.
Keep America Beautiful has developed a quiz that tests consumers’ knowledge about recycling and provides insights into recycling best practices. CLICK HERE to take the quiz.
In addition to partnering with KAB, IBWA is active in helping to improve recycling rates through its Put It In The Bin campaign website and involvement with The Recycling Partnership, a national recycling nonprofit organization comprised of industries and municipalities.
For more information about bottled water, visit www.bottledwater.org.
