Overview on Recycling of Post Consumer PET Bottles and Applications of rPET

The global production of polyethylene terepththalate (PET) is expected to reach 583.3 billion tonnes by 2021, up from 485 billion tonnes in 2016. In India, plastic waste is a major issue, with 15,342 tonnes generated every day, of which 6,000 tonnes remains uncollected and littered.

To address this, India has increased its import of PET bottles and flakes from 12,000 tonnes in 2016-17 to 48,000 tonnes in 2017-18. While 65% of PET bottles in India are recycled by registered firms, there is still a need for more efficient waste collection and recycling methods.

Chemical recycling methods, such as glycolysis and hydrolysis, can be used to break down PET waste and produce superior quality products, but these methods are more costly. Mechanical recycling is more preferred due to reduced costs and environmental impact. Recycled PET can be used in various applications, such as bottle making, fibre production, bitumen modification, concrete mixtures, and manufacturing polyurethane and unsaturated polyester resins. Ultimately, more sustainable methods are needed to manage and recycle PET waste. The industrial utilization of rPET could be cost effective in comparison to virgin PET.