Not the 4 legged, furry kind – the plastic kind. PET stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate, better known to you and me as #1 plastic. The numbering of plastics makes it easy to identify the resin content of bottles and jars commonly found in the residential waste stream without having to know terms like polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, or ABS. There are many different types of plastics offering a wide range of properties and characteristics that make the products we buy function properly. For instance, some products are squeezable (ketchup bottles) and some are rigid; some seal in moisture better than others; some are lighter, etc.
When you bring your plastics to the Recycling Center we have the responsibility of sorting them into their different numbers, baling them and sending them to the particular mill that wants them to use as their raw material to manufacture their end product. In the case of #1, or PET, plastic bottles and jars, we send them to either Mohawk (formerly Image Carpets) or Beaulieu (formerly Marglen) for the manufacturing of carpet.
Mohawk brings in approximately 2,000,000 pounds of bottles per year to make their carpet. We are sending them approximately 100,000 pounds in a year – a drop in their bucket. However, our community has the potential to be sending a bigger drop – probably double that amount if we were really getting all (or most) of the #1 bottles actually being used out there. While Rome and Floyd County have good recycling programs, there is always room for improvement.
Research has shown that over the last couple of years PET recycling has been decreasing in spite of the fact that more and more products are being marketed in the bottles. One of the reasons for this decrease has been identified as a problem with “single-serve” beverage containers being recycled. Apparently water, juice and soft drink bottles are being consumed in larger and larger volumes in areas where recycling opportunities are not readily available. Examples include: picnics in the park, ball games, bike rides, special outdoor events. When the product is consumed and there is no recycling bin available, the bottle usually ends up in the trash
So here is our challenge – recycle more PETs whenever you can. At home, don’t throw them in the trash - recycle them at the curb or the Recycling Center or one of the 3 County remote sites that accept plastic. Please remember to bring your PETs back home with you for recycling if you don’t see a recycling bin where you finish your beverage. It’s not that hard. Ask for more recycling opportunities to be offered at your favorite spots, but don’t throw your PETs away.