The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA, Alexandria, Virginia / USA; www.bottledwater.org) has reported strong increases in kerbside recycling of PET plastic water bottle containers and an improving environmental footprint for the bottled water industry.

A recently published study indicates that PET plastic water containers are once again the single most recycled item in kerbside collection programmes in the US with the recycling rate for PET plastic bottled water containers increasing to 32.25% in 2010, more than doubling over six years. The study, by the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR, Sonoma, California / USA; www.napcor.com), shows a continuation of steady annual increases in the recycling trend for PET plastic bottled water containers.

Chris Hogan, vice president of communications for IBWA, said: “The bottled water industry is taking a broad-based approach to reducing its environmental footprint. All bottled water containers – whether plastic or glass – are 100% recyclable. ”According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC, New York City / USA; www.beveragemarketing.com), over the past eight years the weight of a 16.9 oz (480g) single-serve PET bottled water container has dropped by 32.6%. In addition, three- and five gallon plastic bottled water containers are reused between 30-50 times before being recycled.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Washington, DC; www.epa.gov) has reported plastic bottles make up less than 0.03% of the country’s waste stream. NAPCOR added that 1.5 bn lb (680m t) of PET was recycled in 2010, and that producing new products from rPET uses two-thirds less energy than required to make products from raw virgin materials.