NAPCOR Shares Insights on Record US PET Plastic Recycling Rates

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NAPCOR recently announced that the US PET plastic bottle recycling rate climbed to 33% in 2023, its highest point since 1996.

To explain what’s driving these gains and what’s needed to sustain momentum, NAPCOR’s Executive Director, Laura Stewart, recently sat down with Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan for an in-depth Q&A published in Packaging World.

Stewart cited two key factors for PET’s recycling rate growth: 

  • “An increase of PET bottles making their way into the bins at our households.”
  • “Success from deposit redemption systems in 10 states, where recovery rates can reach nearly 72%.”

Stewart also pointed to growing circularity. “More PET bottles are getting turned back into PET bottles,” she said. In fact, 16.2% of rPET was used in bottle-to-bottle applications in 2023, the highest level ever, demonstrating increased circular demand for recycled PET nationwide.

“In just the last few years, we’ve seen improvements in using automation and robotics to improve the yield and quality in bales,” Stewart said, but added that “there is still more work to be done.”

And participation remains essential. “The livelihood of the reclamation industry really relies on consumer participation,” Stewart said. “It does have to happen with all of us.”

Read the full Packaging World Q&A to learn:

  • The factors that contributed to the 4% rise in the recycling rate from 2022 to 2023
  • How PET’s 33% recycling rate compares to aluminum’s declining recycling rate during the same time period
  • The role that voluntary brand commitments played in the 16.2% recycled-content rate in 2023
  • What factors drove the record bottle-to-bottle recycling rate of 16.2%
  • What factors contributed to the different PET recycling rates across the country
  • What strategies have proven effective in encouraging higher participation in recycling
  • What role NAPCOR plays in helping legislators understand the value of bottle bills
  • US PET bottle recycling rate projections for next five to 10 years
  • …and so much more
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