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The PET containers
are 100% recyclable. However, it is not only their recyclability quality
that makes them environmentally friendly. Being extremely light, they help
diminish the formation of packaging waste while at the same time they reduce
the emission of contaminants during their transport. Furthermore, since
they require less fuel during transport, they also help saving energy.
In order to give birth to a
new product, used PET containers must first and foremost
be collected. Nowadays, the majority of European cities have set into
place a collection scheme to recover recyclable items.
The second step into recovering used PET
bottles entails collected material to be sent to a sorting plant where
materials are separated according to their nature.
Recovered PET containers are then
punctured and baled (that is: compacted in a bundle) and are sent to a reclaimer.
The reclaimer, is a factory that turns used bottles into PET flakes, the
raw material at the base of recycled PET
products. The first thing the reclaimer has to do is de-baling the bundles.
To make sure the final product will be as pure as possible, the de-baled
bottles are sorted once again then they are pre-washed and are shredded
into flakes. The flakes are washed and dried in their turn, and then they
are stocked and sold. It is when the flakes are sold that the actual recycling
sets into action: the flakes, the raw material, are melted then manufactured
into a new product. |
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