How does PET plastic recycling work?

How does PET plastic recycling work?

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How does PET plastic recycling work?
Every 5 June, on a global scale, we commemorate World Environment Day, a key date to reflect on the ecological challenges we face. This year, the focus is on plastic waste, one of the planet’s greatest enemies, a persistent and growing threat. One fact: the world produces more than 430 million tonnes of plastic every year, according to New Scientist magazine. Plastic is a material that takes a very long time to degrade, so it is crucial to pay attention to ensure that objects made from it are not left behind. They are already flooding our oceans, cities, fields…

The good news is that at least some plastics are recyclable. Such is the case of PET, which can be recycled multiple times, although only a first level of recycling is allowed for food use. After this level, it is used for many things, as we shall see, although recycling PET plastic requires effort, a process of sorting, cleaning, treatment…

However, recycling rates for PET bottles and jars vary greatly from country to country. According to the North American trade association for the PET plastic packaging industry Napcor, in the US – where before 2018 the rate was around 29% – a rate of 33% was achieved in 2023, the highest figure since 1996, and 4 percentage points higher than in 2022. It should be noted that the recycled PET (rPET) content in new bottles and containers reached 16.2% in 2023, 3 percentage points higher than the previous year.

In Europe, Norway’s PET plastic bottle recycling rate stands out with 97%. And although we can’t yet be too optimistic, the global PET plastic bottle recycling industry is estimated to achieve an annual growth rate of 5.3% between 2023 and 2031. The process of recycling PET plastic material into new products such as soft drink bottles, mineral water bottles, fruit juice bottles and cooking oil bottles is a complex one, which we will explain.

What is PET plastic and why is it so common?
PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PETE. It’s a very common material. In fact, it is used to manufacture a wide range of products: recyclable polyethylene bottles and containers, all types of textiles, photographic films, machinery, lighting products, signage, and promotional materials for businesses and services across our streets.

Through pet recycling, containers and bottles made from this material are transformed into new products. Even though PET is easily recyclable, it does not break down readily in the process, meaning it is less likely to trap decomposing substances that could leach into the material. However, despite being in high demand by manufacturers, its recycling rates remain relatively low. The PET plastic market is booming, partly driven by new EU regulations that require a certain percentage of new bottles to be made from recycled PET. By 2025, 25% of all PET bottles must be made from recycled material, increasing to 30% by 2030.

How is PET plastic recycled?
From the moment packaging is recovered — first at home, then through the selective collection that takes place in public bins, and finally at waste treatment plants — the aim is to produce PET plastic flakes at recycling facilities. This effort forms part of the human drive toward a circular economy and involves highly sophisticated PET recycling machinery. PET plastic recycling is carried out through two main processes:

Chemical Recycling
This involves depolymerising PET through processes that transform it depending on the material’s quality: hydrolysis, pyrolysis, glycolysis, saponification, methanolysis, and so on.

Mechanical Recycling
This is the most common method used in specialised plants and involves several phases:

Plastic bottles are sorted by colour and compacted into bales composed primarily of PET material.
These bales are then broken apart and sent down conveyor belts, where suitable containers are selected and foreign materials removed.
Next comes grinding or shredding, which turns the containers into small flakes — known as PET plastic flakes. These are washed with very hot water, caustic soda and detergent, and then scrubbed to remove caps and residual substances.
Moisture is removed through pressing and drying, followed by optical sorting to separate coloured flakes from clear ones. The clear flakes are then used to produce plastic sheets, which can later be turned into new packaging.
The technologies marketed by PICVISA for the PET plastics recycling industry are a benchmark in terms of efficiency and quality assurance of the final product. For example:

The ECOPACK optical sorter uses cutting-edge vision and artificial intelligence technologies. It automatically classifies and separates various materials based on composition (NIR), colour (VIS), and shape using deep learning. Thanks to its multispectral vision capabilities, it can be quickly adjusted to recognise new materials entering the waste stream.
ECOFLAKE optical sorting systems allow for the precise and efficient separation of different types of PET plastic flakes. These systems use high-definition RGB CMOS cameras combined with NIR technology.
What can recycled PET become?
Recycled PET can be used to manufacture countless products. However, as mentioned earlier, packaging intended for food use can only be made from PET that has been recycled once. Common products made from recycled PET include: new bottles and containers, textile fibres, carpets, construction materials, furniture, bins, and more.
That said, the cost of PET bottle recycling varies depending on the type of PET and the country. Generally, clear PET is more expensive than coloured PET. In Spain, the 2025 Green Dot fee for beverage PET bottles of 3 litres or less is €0.385/kg, while rigid PET containers are charged at €0.671/kg.
In the EU, regulations state that from 2025, PET bottles must contain at least 25% recycled plastic, a change that caused the price of recycled PET to double last year — surpassing the cost of virgin plastic. Post-consumer PET flakes were sold in Europe for as much as €1,690 per tonne in February 2024. So, when buying products made from recycled PET, one should not always expect a bargain.

Challenges of PET recycling and future tech innovations
One of the most important challenges for the recycling industry is to increase the collection of PET plastic containers and to improve their lifespan. To meet these challenges, it is necessary to identify plastics by their composition in order to classify them correctly and, in this way, facilitate the quality of the material to be recycled. As mentioned above, PICVISA offers recycling organisations the most innovative technological solutions for sorting and detecting all types of plastics with the highest efficiency. Here is a guide to understanding plastic recycling symbols and getting the most out of this material

Tips for recycling PET plastics
Not everyone knows the best way to support PET recycling effectively. The most recommended method is to rinse and wash plastic bottles and containers before placing them in the bin. This helps prevent odours in your home first, and in the public bin later — and it also improves the recycling process. At PICVISA, we are pleased to see that more and more consumers are searching online for “plastic bottles and recycling”. Every individual can do their bit; every action counts.