Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 9.10
A Comparison of Energy Used, GHG Emissions, and
Solid Waste Generation to Produce Virgin and Recycled Resins
Source: Data from Franklin Associates (2011).
Energy (MBTU/
10
3
lbs)
GHG emissions
Equiv.(lbs of CO
2
)
Solid waste (lbs/
10
3
lbs)
Resin Recycled Virgin Recycled
Virgin
Recycled Virgin
PET 7.25
31.9
1169
2746
402
142
HDPE 3.87
35.8
628
1822
220
74.6
9.5 RECYCLING BOTTLES: BEVERAGE BOTTLES
AND JUGS
Bottles are the most-used package for beverages and the easiest
postconsumer waste item to recover. The fact that 96% of the plastic bottles
in the United States are made up of either PET or HDPE, helps the sorting
process at MRFs. About a half of the rest is made up of PP. PET enjoys
the highest rate of recycling in the United States primarily because of
readily-available recycling infrastructure and a stable market demand for
the product. In Europe, the recovery rate of PET bottles for recycling is
higher (33-95% depending on country). It is an ideal candidate product for
recycling, being easily separated from the recovery stream with no direct
printing on plastic, with caps that can be separated by density, and no
migratory additives. About 10-20% of bottles are recovered in high-value
closed-loop recycling streams and the rest is down-cycled, mostly to
manufacture polyester fiber.
Several LCA studies (Arena et al., 2003; Craighill and Powell, 1996;
Eriksson et al., 2005; Finnveden et al., 2005) have concluded that recycling
postuse PET is the preferred waste management option.
9.5.1 Bottle-to-Bottle Recycling
Closed-loop or bottle-to-bottle recycling has far reaching implications from
a sustainability standpoint. Since post-consumer PET was approved by the
FDA for food-contact uses in 1991, the technology has grown dramatically.
In the United States, about 17% of the PET recyclate finds end markets
in bottle applications. Bottles used for non-food items (such as bleach,
