The story of PET

You remember that PET stands for Polyethylene Terephthalane - what most beverage bottles are made of. Watch ‘The Story of PET’. “We hope that this video is informative and sparks debate with all those who see it” says Cheri Scholtz, CEO of PETCO.

‘The Story of PET’ details the journey of a PET bottle from the time it is received at the Recycling Plant, to where the bottles are colour sorted, washed, granulated, re-washed, extruded and then cut into recycled PET (rPET) pellets. rPET pellets are then used locally and internationally to manufacture many new products, including fibre for polyester carpets and sleeping bags; fabric for clothing, luggage and upholstery; industrial strapping, sheet and film; automotive parts; geotextiles; ceiling insulation; composite timber products and new PET containers for both food and non-food products.

“It’s important to note that we are turning post-consumer PET beverage bottles into new products right here in South Africa, creating value and aiding in addressing the challenges we face surrounding resource consumption and job creation locally. On this score, we are encouraged to see a surge of local manufacturers now using rPET in the production of their packaging and products, with many more responsible product developers considering this material as a viable alternative to virgin PET or other polymers, this goes a long way to ensuring that less virgin PET is used as well as reduces the carbon footprint of the end product and diverts thousands of bottles destined for landfill for reuse as another product” says Scholtz.

“PETCO aims to minimize the environmental impact of post-consumer PET on the South African landscape by encouraging and achieving sustainable growth in PET recycling, by supporting existing and encouraging new PET collection and recycling networks and through the promotion of consumer education and awareness through our programmes and initiatives…” says Scholtz, “…this new video is considered a vital tool in our quest to educate people and raise awareness about the importance of recycling PET and the renewed lease on life it can be given!”

4 million bottles recycled per day

At present rPET saves 1.5 tons of carbon for every 1 ton of PET recycled. Through partnerships, capacity building and recycling awareness raising aided by the establishment of more collection and drop off facilities, PETCO saw 1.4 billion PET bottles being recycled across South Africa in 2011, which is close to 4 million bottles recycled every day. PETCO aims to reach a target tonnage of post-consumer beverage PET recycled of 48 356 tons or 44% of all beverage PET resin converted in 2012.

The success of Petco’s recycling efforts can only be achieved through the participation of all roleplayers. The public and private sector can participate in recycling by establishing recycling programs in-house, serviced by established collectors, by dropping off bottles at a site for recycling or participating in kerbside collection projects.

To find out more about recycling service providers and drop off facilities, click on the banner below.