"Four years ago, this article looked at how major beverage companies were starting to explore sustainable plastic packaging. Companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Suntory set ambitious goals for using bio-based bottles and more recycled content. The hope was for a future where PET bottles would not rely on fossil fuels and could be recycled again and again into new containers."
"Reloop's What We Waste Dashboard reveals that between 2015 and 2024, an estimated 1.5 trillion beverage containers were sent to landfills in the U.S., including 785 billion PET bottles (that's 2,309 bottles per person). Americans wasted an average of 504 beverage containers per person in 2024 alone, including 263 PET bottles each. If current collection rates remain unchanged, an additional 878.6 billion beverage containers will be wasted between 2025 and 2029."
Major beverage companies set ambitious goals for bio-based bottles and increased recycled content but have reduced commitments. Nationwide PET bottle recycling rates remain low, around 24% per MIT and 29.1% in 2018 per EPA; overall plastic recycling is about 8.7%. CleanHub reports U.S. plastic recycling fell from 9% in 2018 to roughly 5% today after China banned waste imports. From 2015–2024, an estimated 1.5 trillion beverage containers were landfilled in the U.S., including 785 billion PET bottles. Americans averaged 504 wasted beverage containers per person in 2024, including 263 PET bottles. If collection rates do not improve, an additional 878.6 billion containers will be wasted from 2025–2029.
Read at Earth911
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]