Have a Question? We’ve Got Answers.

Yes. The PET bottle itself poses no danger when refilled. PET is an inert plastic and does not leach harmful amounts of materials into its contents, either when a beverage is stored unopened, or when bottles are refilled or frozen. The PET container has been safely used for many years and has undergone rigorous testing under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines to ensure its safety as a food and beverage container suitable for storage and reuse.

Opened bottles can harbor bacteria, however, as will mugs, glasses, or any other beverage container. PET bottles are no more likely to foster bacteria than any other packaging or drink container. Ideally, all drinking containers—including PET bottles—should be washed with hot, soapy water and dried thoroughly prior to reuse.

Refillable PET carbonated soft drink bottles have been used in Latin America and Europe for many years with no safety issues. Bottles are washed carefully before refilling.

Click here to debunk other common PET myths.

Yes. There are no inherent dangers in the freezing of PET bottles, and absolutely no truth to the internet-circulated rumors that dioxins are leached from frozen PET bottles into the contents of the bottles. Dioxin is a chlorine-containing chemical that has no role or presence in the chemistry of PET plastic. Furthermore, dioxins are part of a family of chemical compounds typically formed only by combustion at temperatures well above 700 degrees Fahrenheit—not at room temperature or below.

Companies select PET packaging because it is safe, recyclable, convenient, and suitable for food and beverages. The FDA has reviewed migration testing data and concluded that PET containers do not leach harmful amounts of substances into their contents under foreseeable and intended use conditions.

Yes. Antimony (a common additive in PET packaging) can only leach into a product if the bottle is exposed to high heat over an extended period of time. Research has shown that it would take nearly six months of continuous exposure to 140-degree heat for the concentration of antimony to exceed the maximum contaminant levels established by the EPA. That means leaving a PET bottle in a hot car for a day (or even a month!) will not compromise the safety of the product.

No. There is no connection between PET plastic and BPA.

BPA is not used in the production of PET material; it is not used as a chemical building block for any of the materials used in the manufacture of PET, nor is it part of the PET recycling process.

PET water, other beverages, food, and non-food bottles and containers do not contain BPA and have never contained it.

No. “Phthalates” (pronounced THAL-ates) are a class of chemicals that includes three subsets, each with very different properties. PET belongs to one of these phthalate subsets, terephthalates, but not the one most commonly associated with the term “phthalate.”

Orthophthalate is the phthalate subset most commonly referenced and discussed in popular literature and on internet sites as “phthalate;” it has been the subject of some negative press. Often used to make various plastics more flexible, this type of phthalate is used to make plasticizers.

PET does not contain plasticizers. Orthophthalates are never substituted for the terephthalates used in the manufacture of PET, nor are the two different chemicals ever mixed to make PET. Further, orthophthalates are NOT part of the PET recycling process.

Companies select PET packaging for a wide variety of product applications because it is safe, strong, shatterproof, rigid, and recyclable.

Antimony in chemical form is often used as a catalyst in the production of PET plastic. Catalysts accelerate chemical reactions and are commonly used in manufacturing to ensure that a process occurs at a sufficiently rapid rate to make it commercially practical. Catalysts in PET are used at the part-per-million level.

The element antimony is chosen based on its performance compared to various selection criteria, including safety—there are few, if any, adverse effects—productivity, final appearance of the plastic, and an acceptable overall cost. Antimony oxide, the antimony chemical form in PET, has been used and researched for decades. Metallic antimony is not used to make PET and is the chemical form that is considered a health risk.

In the science of toxic effects (toxicology), two key factors are used to determine a hazard: 1) How dangerous is the material, and 2) How much of the material is released (i.e., exposure). A 1997 study showed that antimony oxide has very low toxicity (1). The compound is relatively inert and does not participate in biological life. As for how much antimony oxide is released from PET, long-term studies indicate that it’s very little. A report by the International Life Sciences Institute showed that “less than five parts per billion” were released into the liquid contents (2). This is compliant with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s National Primary Drinking Water Standard. When multiplied together, antimony oxide’s very low toxicity, combined with very low exposure, results in a very, very low risk. Its use in PET does not pose a risk to workers, consumers, or the environment.

1 APME technical dossier on The Toxicological Properties of Antimony Oxide, 1997, subject of a petition to the EU Scientific Committee on Food (SCF)

2 Report on Packaging Materials:  International Life Sciences Institute (Europe) 2000 Report on PET for Food Packaging

No. There is no connection between BPS and PET.

BPS is not used in the production of PET material; it is not used as a chemical building block for any of the materials used in the manufacture of PET, nor is it part of the PET recycling process.

PET water, other beverages, food, and non-food bottles and containers do not contain BPS and have never contained it.

A PET bottle can be recycled over and over again. It’s true that some changes occur in the recycled PET with repeated recycling heat histories, but these can be addressed during the recycling process. Read the Circularity Study on PET Bottle-To-Bottle Recycling.

Recycled PET (rPET) is used to make new PET bottles, as well as non-bottle thermoforms, including deli, bakery, and produce containers, cake domes, trays, cups, and other similar items. Recycled PET is also used in many fiber applications, from carpets to clothing to fiberfill stuffing for soft furnishings. Other uses include strapping for shipping containers, car trunk liners, and other industrial applications. Learn more about PET end products.

We are justifiably excited by the idea of a bottle being recycled back into another package again and again. PET’s properties, in particular, allow it to be successfully recycled and safely incorporated back into packaging, whether for food and beverages or other applications. And yet, replacing virgin PET material with recycled PET in longer-life goods — whether carpet, fleecewear, or a car liner — means significantly reduced greenhouse gases, energy consumption, and emissions for those products. The question should not be either/or, but both. Recycled PET can be reused in both durable and packaging applications, providing the maximum environmental benefit and economic robustness. Learn more about the environmental impact of PET.

Plastic caps, closures, and neck rings can be left on bottles and are not considered contaminants in the recycling process. Bottle closures are typically made of polypropylene or polyethylene, plastics with a specific gravity different from that of PET. The difference allows caps and neck rings to be separated from bottles using a float/sink process. The denser PET material sinks in water while the cap and label material floats, making the materials easy to separate. The plastic cap material is also recyclable. Metal closures and neck rings are contaminants in the PET stream and should not be left on a PET package when it is recycled. Learn more about recycling compatible package design.

Yes, we call these companies that wash and further process recycled PET “reclaimers” and maintain a list of reclaimers in the US and Canada. Some use the clean, processed recycled PET directly in their own products, and others sell it to a variety of end-market users.

The industry standards for PET bales are referred to as “model” bale specifications and serve as a benchmark for suppliers and buyers of all bale types. The newest version of industry-vetted model bale specifications for PET includes bale “gradings” that are intended to provide standardized, industry-agreed, voluntary metrics for discussing and assessing PET bale quality.

These model bale specifications were developed jointly by NAPCOR and the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), the trade organization for plastics recyclers in North America. View and download the current PET bale specifications, including gradings and a sample test method. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), a US-based trade association for scrap commodities, also lists the current model PET bale specifications.

Incorporating recycling-friendly design into packaging innovations is critically important to the long-term viability of the recycling industry. For many years, NAPCOR has worked closely with another trade organization, the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), which serves as the industry-recognized repository for design for recyclability guidelines for all plastic resins. For PET, these guidelines cover the PET package as well as components such as labels and closures. Visit the APR site for more detailed information.

PET collected in your recycling bin or community drop-off generally goes to a materials recovery facility (MRF) where it is separated from other recyclables and compressed into dense blocks or “bales” of PET containers for transport, each weighing approximately 1,000 pounds. Bales then go to a PET processor or “reclaimer” where the PET material is further sorted, ground into flake, and washed. Depending on the intended end-use market, the clean PET flake will undergo various levels of additional processing to screen impurities, increase the recycled PET density and intrinsic viscosity (akin to “runny-ness,” or more scientifically, molecular weight), and/or improve the overall consistency of the recycled resin. Many PET reclaimers have FDA-approved processes to make food-grade plastic packaging material. Check out our short animated video to learn more about the recycling process.

In many communities, PET thermoforms, such as those used for produce or deli clamshells, are accepted for recycling, but not in all areas. Check with your local recycling service provider or drop-off location.

For material recovery facilities (MRFs) or other intermediate processors looking to accept and market PET thermoforms, please check with your market(s), as some reclaimers will accept thermoforms with PET bottles at agreed-upon percentages, provided the material is auto-sorted to minimize non-PET contamination. Auto-sorting uses near-infrared spectroscopy to identify different plastic resins and then separate them. Read more about NAPCOR’s work on PET thermoform recycling.

Consumers prefer PET packaging because it is lightweight, safe, shatter-resistant, resealable, and recyclable — an effective combination for use at home, work, and leisure. Package designers also appreciate PET’s recyclability, as well as its clarity, toughness, rigidity, and scope for innovative design potential across various market sectors, and its barrier properties that help retain product freshness. For more information, visit Why PET?