PET Thermoform Recycling

About PET Thermoforms

Thermoformed polyethylene terephthalate (PET), easily identified by the #1 on the container, is created by heating a PET plastic sheet until it becomes pliable, then shaping and trimming it into the desired form.

Thermoforms, known as “trays” outside of North America, are an essential part of our daily lives. From consumer packaging—clamshells, cups, tubs, lids, boxes, trays, egg cartons, and similar rigid, non-bottle packaging—to agricultural and pharmaceutical products, thermoformed PET plastic’s functionality keeps us safer and healthier. For example:

  • PET plastic blister packs protect our medicine.
  • PET panels in our cars keep us safe on our drive to work.
  • Food is kept fresh in PET plastic clamshells and food trays.

PET thermoforms are integral to the packaging industry, providing a robust, lightweight, and sustainable solution for protecting and displaying products. One of PET’s critical advantages is its recyclability, which allows it to be repeatedly recycled without significantly degrading quality. PET thermoforms are accepted in recycling programs that serve most Americans. 

In addition, thermoformed packages offer excellent clarity, allowing consumers to quickly see the contents and assess their value. PET thermoforms can achieve high levels of recycled content in food-grade applications while maintaining safety and performance standards.

PET thermoforms’ ultimate recyclability supports environmental sustainability, making them a preferred choice for companies seeking a circular packaging solution.

Learn more in our PET thermoform fact sheet.

About PET Thermoform Recycling

Thermoform packaging made of PET plastic resin is technically recyclable with PET bottles, but not all thermoforms are made of PET. Most PET reclaimers accept thermoforms in bottle bales up to a specified percentage, provided auto-sort systems and best practices to minimize look-alike contamination are in place.

PET thermoform recycling has increased substantially in the United States and Canada since NAPCOR began tracking it in 2011. Between 2011 and 2023, domestic reclamation of PET thermoforms more than quadrupled, though some technical and design-for-recyclability issues remain.

Other PET thermoform recycling numbers you should know:

  • In 2024, the US and Canada collected 264 million pounds of PET thermoform packaging for recycling, representing a 52% increase from the prior year.
  • In 2022 and 2023, the average level of recycled content for PET thermoforms manufactured in the US and Canada exceeded that of PET bottles.
  • Between 2016 and 2023, the weight of PET thermoforms collected annually for recycling in the US and Canada nearly doubled (a 96% increase).

NAPCOR is addressing key challenges to expand domestic recovery of this valuable, sustainable material without jeopardizing existing PET bottle recycling assets. We released a best-practices document providing a more detailed overview: 2020 PET Thermoform Recycling: A Progress Report.

Improving PET Thermoform Circularity

NEW! White Paper: Increasing PET Thermoform Recycling

Written in collaboration with the Circular PET Thermo-Forum, the white paper details how California and other states can improve PET thermoform circularity through innovation, policy alignment, and industry commitments. Download the report to discover:

  • The value of PET thermoform packaging and recycling
  • PET thermoform applications
  • Unique PET thermoform attributes
  • The sustainability advantages of PET thermoforms
  • Successful thermoform recycling examples, featuring case studies by rPlanet Earth, Direct Pack, and Global Plastics Recycling
  • Strategies to enhance PET thermoform recycling
  • Policy recommendations

Click here to read the press release about the white paper.

Access the white paper now

If you are considering adding PET thermoforms to your recycling program, or redirecting them from a mixed plastic bale to a domestic PET market, consider the following:

  • Encourage your buyer to accept mixed bottle/thermoform bales or consider purchasing dedicated PET thermoform bales.
  • Most, but not all, thermoforms are PET. Be sure to implement best sorting practices that minimize contamination and maximize quality. Most reclaimers currently accepting PET thermoforms prefer material that has been auto-sorted by material type at the material recovery facility (MRF).
  • Investments in best practices to meet domestic buyer specifications will pay off. Clean, high-quality bales of PET bottles, when comingled with PET thermoforms, can command a strong domestic market value.