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Frequently Asked Questions
This Frequently Asked Questions section has been developed for providing quick answers to recurrent questions. Additional details can be found in the relevant pages of the site.
PET bottles bear a typical "injection mould" dot at the bottom. They are also identifiable by their identification number (1) generally found inside or next to the identification symbol mould on the bottle or printed on the label (three arrows chasing one another).
PET is made out of ethylene and paraxylene. Their derivatives (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) are made to react at high temperature and high pressure to obtain amorphous PET. The resin is then crystallised and polymerised to increase its molecular weight and its viscosity. The resulting resin is the raw material used to make containers.
PET is made out of ethylene and paraxylene. Their derivatives (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) are made to react at high temperature and high pressure to obtain amorphous PET. The resin is then crystallised and polymerised to increase its molecular weight and its viscosity. The resulting resin is the raw material used to make containers.
The first step into recycling is collecting post-consumer PET. Nowadays, the majority of European cities have set into place a collection scheme to recover recyclable items, amongst which PET bottles. Often, the scheme requests citizens to dispose of recyclables into specific bags that are then collected separately from the rest of the household waste. The bags containing recyclables are sent to a sorting plant where materials are separated according to their nature. Recovered PET bottles are then punctured and baled (compacted in a bundle) and are sent to the reclaimers. The reclaimer first de-bales the bundles and, to make sure its final product will be as pure as possible, sorts the bottles once again. The bottles are then pre-washed and are shredded into flakes. The flakes are washed thoroughly, then dried and stocked before being 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.
Collection schemes differ from country to country and from town to town. However the methods used are generally one of the following:
Kerbside collection: consumers separate bottles from their household waste putting them in special bags, then the bags are collected by the municipality;
Drop-off Locations: collection containers are placed in particular locations where the consumer can leave his bottles;
Return Vending: generally placed in supermarkets, return vending machines allow consumers to return containers and receive coupons or tokens in return.
Refill and Deposit: bottles are sold with refundable deposits redeemable on return of the bottle to the retailers'.
Once the bottles are collected, they are sent to the sorting line to separate the various streams of material.
PET can be sorted manually or automatically. Manual sorting is labour intensive as PET bottles are hand picked from the sorting line. Operators use sample features to identify the bottles.
Automatic sorting uses high-speed X-ray and Near Infrared (NIR) sensors to select PET and reject contaminants. Hand sorting still plays a role in the automatic sorting process as automatically rejected bottles are checked by operators (amongst others) to make sure no valuable PET is lost in the process.
Once the bales reach the reclaimers they are de-baled. The bottles are then sorted again to make sure no other material will find its way in the processing. The bottles are pre-washed and are then shredded into flakes. The flakes are washed thoroughly and dried then they are stocked waiting to be sold to a recycler.
PET is recycled through mechanical recycling. During mechanical recycling recovered bottles are shredded into flakes. Flakes are subsequently washed and are ready to be used as such or blended with virgin polymer.
It is also possible to break up the polymer molecule into its main raw materials. The final products from this process can be used to manufacture new PET.
To ensure the purest possible final product, recovered bottles must be cleaned of all contaminants such as labels and glue. Once de-baled, bottles are sorted, pre-washed and shredded into flakes. The flakes, easier to wash than a flattened bottle, are then thoroughly cleaned with water and detergents resulting in a perfectly clean flake.
Currently, the main outlet for recycled PET is the fibre market. Polar fleece for example is made out of recycled PET. Other applications include strapping, sheet and even building material. High quality sorting and washing allows bottles to be recycled back into bottles for beverages and non foods.
PET is widely recycled as a material, making a large contribution to the recycling targets that are becoming requirements for plastics by most countries of the world. PET can be recovered, and the material reused, by simple washing processes or by chemical treatment to break down the PET into raw materials or intermediates. These intermediates are then purified and converted into new PET resins. A final option for PET that is unsuitable for material recycling (e.g., very dirty, or too contaminated to clean) is to use it as energy source (thermal recycling). When recycling is not undertaken, in landfills PET is stable and inert with no leaching or groundwater risk. Bottles are crushed to very small volume, take up relatively little space, and generally add a degree of stability to the landfill.
The use of PET in packaging significantly reduces energy demand and greenhouse emissions versus alternative materials like glass and metals. In a comprehensive study published in January 2005, GUA (Gesellschaft für umfassende Analysen GmbH)4 established that packaging beverages in PET versus glass or metal reduces energy consumption by 52% (83.2 GJ/yr in Europe alone). Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced 55% on the same basis (4.3 Million Tonnes CO2 eq/yr in Europe).
Developments in PET resin technology and conversion equipment have reduced package weights up to 31% since the introduction of PET 25 years ago. A two-litre preform that weighed 68 gms in 1980 now weighs 47 gms.
PET cuts the transportation energy used in the global food supply chain in half. The total transportation energy (required to deliver packaging to filler and from filler to retailers) for an average kg PET in the form of beverage packaging is 13.7 MJ diesel compared to 25.4 MJ per kg substituted PET for the average glass beverage packaging.
No. Most (88%) of the oil extracted from the earth is used as a fuel for transport systems, heating appliances or for generation of electricity. The amount used for chemicals and plastics is small in comparison. In fact, the use of plastics actually saves those resources as a result of lighter containers being transported from the filler to the retailer.
PET is organic and will eventually burn like paper, wood and coals. It is very difficult to ignite and usually melts away from any flame sources. In this respect is it little different than most natural organic materials.
It does have the same calorific value as soft coal and can be used with effect in up to date "Waste to Energy" power generation facilities.
It will stay there, inert, similar to glass. It will not degrade biologically -- one of the reasons it is such a good choice for packaging foods is its resistance to attack by micro-organisms. It will be crushed flat without fragmenting and occupy less space than the more rigid glass. It is resistant to the chemicals found in landfills and will not give rise to any harmful leachates. In fact, these very properties are utilised in stabilisation of landfills and processed baled PET bottles have been used for stabilisation of the foundations for road works.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review container and bottle materials that come in contact with food before allowing them on the market.
PET plastic is cleared for safety in food and beverage packaging for single and repeated use. EFSA and the FDA review data on composition, potential transfer of materials (migration) to food, and the toxicology of the materials. All bottles that are re-used should always be properly cleaned, using soap and hot water and then dried thoroughly after each use to prevent bacterial growth.
No. Considerable research has been conducted with no evidence of danger to reproduction or reproductive development from PET or any of its raw materials. Environmental estrogens are naturally occurring and synthetic compounds that mimic or alter the normal process of the female hormone oestrogen. They have recently received a lot of attention because some questionable studies, which have not been replicated in subsequent studies, suggested that even low doses can cause harm.
These compounds are found in naturally occurring and possibly man-made chemicals that are present in our air, water, soil, food, and the household products we use. PET is not made from these materials.
The research to date does not show harmful effects in people or wildlife, and no government agency has accepted the possibility of harm from low levels of exposure. Exposure to doses that might be associated with adverse effects is not found in our daily lives.
Very small amounts of antimony compounds are used in the production of PET as well as glass. Antimony oxide is typically used as the catalyst in making PET, which is chemically bound into the polymer at very low levels. Over time and with extended exposure to heat, trace amounts of antimony may migrate into water or other beverages bottled in PET. Laboratory tests on the migration of antimony compounds from PET have consistently found levels far below all safety thresholds - typically less than 1/40th of the World Health Organization's daily safe-consumption level for drinking water.
PET contains no phthalates. Phthalates (i.e., phthalate ester plasticizers) are not used in PET, and PET is not a phthalate. Plasticizer phthalates are sometimes used to soften other types of plastic, but they are not used in PET. Some consumers may have incorrectly assumed that PET is a phthalate because PET's chemical name is polyethylene terephthalate. Despite the suffix, PET is not a phthalate. Phthalates are low molecular weight monoesters made from ortho-phthalic acid. By comparison, PET is a high molecular weight polyester made from tere-phthalic acid. Chemically they are very different.
No. PET does not contain dioxins, nor can it produce dioxins, and no dioxins are created in the manufacturing of PET. Dioxins are a group of compounds sometimes formed by high-temperature combustion (over 750 degrees F.) and certain types of industrial processes involving chlorine. Dioxins can't be created without the presence of chlorine, and PET does not contain chlorine. Consequently, dioxins can't be produced when a PET container is heated or microwaved or frozen (all common urban myths).
It depends on the shelf-life requirements. The grades of PET used for soft drinks don't quite have the oxygen barrier properties needed to maintain a beer's optimum taste quality over its typical shelf-life. However, beer packaged in single-serving PET bottles is becoming more and more popular at concerts and sporting events. Because the beer is bottled specifically for these events and consumed on the premises, there's no time for beer quality to deteriorate. New technology to meet the longer shelf-life needs of beer and wine continues to be introduced into the marketplace.
Yes. PET bottles are cleared for both single and repeated use by the FDA and other world health-safety agencies. It's a common misconception that refilling and reusing a PET bottles will somehow cause the bottle to degrade, release harmful substances or cultivate bacteria. PET is a stable, inert material that doesn't biologically or chemically degrade with use, and is resistant to attack by micro-organisms. Regulatory authorities have tested PET bottles and found no harmful substances in either new or re-used PET bottles.
Although PET bottles are approved for both single and repeated use, the refilling and re-use of any bottle first requires careful cleaning. Always use soap and hot water. Dry thoroughly to make sure it is sanitary and free of moisture, which can promote bacterial growth. Consumers should avoid re-using any bottle that has been scratched inside, since bacteria can become lodged in scratches.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have published a report into an analysis of antimony levels in 42 juice drinks from 16 brands. They found low levels of antimony in some products. All of the products tested, irrespective of the packaging used, were found to have levels below the 20 microgrammes per kg (i.e. 20 parts per billion) limit set out in the World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water.
Antimony is a naturally occurring element found in the environment, and as such the general population is exposed to low levels every day from food, water and air.
Antimony's safety in use has been very extensively reviewed by WHO, EFSA, EPA, US F&DA and the EU. All of the products tested in the study fully comply with food contact regulations and have been tested by the suppliers of the packaging and the food producers.
It is important to note that the potential exposure to antimony in these products is well below the daily intake over a lifetime that is considered safe.
No one should be worried by the findings of the study .... nor the, sometimes, sensational reporting.