EU PET recycling rate at 48 percent

By Henry Leineweber, Resource Recycling

Europeans are recycling almost half of all PET bottles, on average, according to new findings from European plastic recycling trade groups Petcore and EuPR. The overall recycling rate for 2010 was 48.3 percent of all PET bottles sold on the market, with the volume of post-sorting PET ticking up 6.5 percent last year to 1.6 million tons.

The total mechanical reclamation capacity in Europe stands at 1.87 million tons per year, according to the findings, but average capacity utilization for PET recycling infrastructure across the pond is only 79 percent, indicating there is still room for growth. Nearly all countries met or exceeded the mandated 22.5 percent collection rate for PET bottles, with rates topping 70 percent in some countries.

Regarding end-markets, blowmolding grew to 25 percent of the rPET market share in 2010. Fiber production accounted for 39 percent of rPET, and strapping production saw a significant rebound versus 2009. Additionally, sheet production saw a 27,000-ton decrease in rPET consumption, largely as a result of higher import volumes.

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