PET RECYCLING | INNOVATION


PET recyclers are adjusting to the


challenges of tough markets, regulation and feedstock and product quality with a wide range of actions. By Chris Saunders


Responding to problems in PET recycling sector


PET remains by far the most recycled polymer, with data from Petcore showing that in 2022, an average of 75% of PET bottles in Europe were collected. However, despite a long-standing and well-estab- lished recycling infrastructure in Europe and the US – and which is growing in other regions – PET recycling is facing challenges. In response, the PET recycling landscape is undergoing an evolution supported by technology advances in mechanical and chemical recycling. Each of these advances contributes to expanded capacity, higher quality outputs, and greater feedstock flexibility, with the challenge now shifting to integrating these technologies into profitable, scalable processes that meet increasingly stringent sustainability goals and policy requirements. The tough financial environment for PET recyclers has led a few companies to shut down some of their operations. In January, Alpek Polyester USA, part of


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


Mexican company Alpek, announced the imminent closure of the PET recycling facility in Reading, Pennsylvania, US, it acquired in 2021. This location is the second rPET producer under Alpek’s umbrella to close in less than a year and follows other recent high-profile closures in the US by Phoenix Technolo- gies in Bowling Green, Ohio, and rPlanet Earth in Vernon, California. Europe has fared little better. After a strategic review,Viridor recently closed two PET recycling plants in the UK, and at the end of last year Veolia shuttered its MultiPet and Multiport facilities in Bernburg, Germany. At the time, Guido Adomßent, CEO of Veolia Umweltservice, commented: “The high costs for processing plastic waste and persistently low prices for primary plastics have fundamentally impaired the profitability of these sites.” Following the closure, Veolia said material flows will be diverted to other sites in the Netherlands and France, and looking ahead, said it will continue to


Main image: Pots, tubs and trays can be feedstock for PET recycling, in addition to bottles


April 2026 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 19


IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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