In Austria, PET to PET Recycling Österreich (Müllendorf / Austria; www.pet2pet.at) produced more than 12,500 t of recycled PET in the first half of 2018. The Austrian company has recycled 512m PET bottles during this period, which is a 7% increase compared to the year before. "On the one hand, we have been able to increase our performance again thanks to ongoing process optimisation, and on the other, we are working continuously to raise the proportion of recyclate used in new PET beverage bottles," says managing director Christian Strasser.

Austrians continue to contribute to the high collection rate of PET containers in the country, with three out of four PET bottles being collected and recycled, Strasser says. During the first six months of 2018, the Austrian PET recycler continued to invest in processing upgrades. At its existing regrind facility in Müllendorf, the company has converted to the latest technology for food-grade PET resin, with a corresponding improvement in throughput. In addition, the quality of food-grade PET flakes has been increased through improved sorting systems – and boosted by the steady demand from beverage producers in Austria.

PET to PET's capacity at its Müllendorf site is around 22,000 t/y of beverage bottles. Partners of the company, which was founded in 2007, are Coca-Cola HBC Austria, Egger Getränke, Rauch Fruchtsäfte, S. Spitz and Vöslauer Mineralwasser.