How Many Times Can A PET Bottle Be Recycled?

PET bottles are the most common item in our daily lives. PET bottles, also known as bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate, have become the preferred packaging choice for many industries such as beverages, food, and daily chemical products due to their lightweight, high transparency, impact resistance, and good gas barrier properties. From small oral liquid bottles to several liter edible oil bottles, PET bottles are everywhere, silently serving our lives.

But have you ever thought about the fate of PET bottles after we finish drinking and casually throw them into the trash can? Can it really only be simply buried or incinerated? In fact, PET bottles have amazing ‘regeneration’ potential, and one key question is: how many times can a PET bottle be recycled? This question may seem simple, but it involves complex knowledge from multiple fields such as materials science, environmental technology, economic costs, and is also related to the sustainable future of our planet. Next, let’s delve into the mystery behind the times of PET bottle recycling together.

I. PET Bottles: Ubiquitous ‘Regulars’

1. The Wide Application of PET Bottles

PET bottles are ubiquitous in our lives, occupying a large market share in the packaging industry. In the beverage industry, it is undoubtedly the protagonist. The mineral water we purchase on a daily basis is almost exclusively packaged in PET bottles. Many brands use PET bottle designs that are not only convenient to carry, but also allow us to clearly see the clear water quality inside the bottle. Carbonated beverages are also ‘bound’ to PET bottles. PET bottle packaging from brands such as Coca Cola and Pepsi not only perfectly locks in carbon dioxide, making every sip full of the stimulating sensation of bubbles, but also lightweight and easy to carry, making it easy to buy in supermarkets, convenience stores, and vending machines. Juice drinks and tea drinks are also choosing PET bottles. PET bottles can not only block ultraviolet rays and oxygen, reduce the oxidation loss of nutrients such as vitamin C in juice, extend shelf life, but also attract consumers’ attention through exquisite label design.

In the food industry, PET bottles also perform well. Most edible oil bottles are made of PET material, which is resistant to oil erosion and can effectively prevent oil oxidation and rancidity. At the same time, the bottle body can be designed to be beautiful and elegant, making it convenient to display on shelves. Various seasoning bottles, such as sauce bottles, vinegar bottles, etc., the sealing and corrosion resistance of PET bottles ensure the flavor and quality of seasonings. Some snacks and dried fruits also use PET bottles for packaging, with transparent bottle bodies that make the food inside easy to see and stimulate consumers’ desire to purchase.

The daily chemical industry is also an important application area for PET bottles. Many bottles of shampoo, shower gel, skincare products, etc. are made of PET material. For shampoo and shower gel, PET bottles can withstand the erosion of various chemical components in the product, and the bottle body can be designed in various shapes for easy grip and pouring. The packaging of skincare products requires high barrier properties and safety of the bottles. PET bottles have good gas barrier properties and hygiene safety, which can ensure that the active ingredients in skincare products are not oxidized or contaminated, and extend the shelf life of the products. Like some high-end skincare PET bottles, they also undergo special processing to enhance their texture and appearance, and strengthen the brand image of the product.

2. Characteristics And Advantages of PET Bottles

The reason why PET bottles stand out among many packaging materials is due to a series of unique characteristic advantages.

Firstly, it is lightweight. The density of PET is relatively low, which makes PET bottles much lighter in weight than traditional packaging materials such as glass bottles. Taking a 500ml bottle of mineral water as an example, the weight of a PET bottle may be only a fraction of that of a glass bottle. This not only greatly reduces transportation costs, but also means that for long-distance transportation and large-scale distribution, the reduced weight can save a lot of transportation costs; And it is convenient for consumers to carry, whether it is for outdoor sports, travel or daily commuting, lightweight PET bottles will not become a burden.

High strength is also a major highlight of PET bottles. Although it has a lightweight texture, it has high impact strength and tensile strength. During transportation and storage, PET bottles can withstand a certain degree of compression, collision, and drop without easily breaking, effectively protecting the internal products. For example, when transporting carbonated beverages, there is a certain pressure inside the bottle, and PET bottles can withstand this pressure to ensure that the beverage will not leak.

Low cost is one of the important factors for the widespread application of PET bottles. The raw materials for PET are relatively abundant, and the production process is also relatively mature, which makes the manufacturing cost of PET bottles relatively low. For large-scale production enterprises, this can effectively control packaging costs and improve the market competitiveness of products. Compared to some high-end packaging materials, PET bottles are more affordable and suitable for various enterprises to choose from, while ensuring packaging functionality.

Acid and alkali resistance is another advantage of PET bottles. In the food and daily chemical industries, many products have a certain acidity or alkalinity, such as citric acid in beverages, acetic acid in vinegar, and some chemical components in skincare products. PET bottles have good tolerance to most acids and bases, and will not undergo chemical reactions with these substances, thus ensuring the quality and stability of the product. This allows PET bottles to safely package various acidic and alkaline products, expanding their application range.

High safety is also the reason why PET bottles are highly favored. PET is a non-toxic and odorless material with good hygiene and safety, which can be directly used for packaging food and drugs. After strict production processes and quality inspections, PET bottles will not release harmful substances and will not pose a threat to human health. This is a crucial feature for packaging that comes into direct contact with food and medicine, allowing consumers to use it with confidence.

Good transparency is a significant appearance characteristic of PET bottles. It has a transparency close to glass, which can clearly display the color, shape, and texture of the packaging contents, allowing consumers to intuitively understand the product’s condition when purchasing. Compared to juice drinks, the bright color of the juice and the flesh inside can be seen through PET bottles, enhancing the attractiveness of the product. At the same time, good transparency also facilitates printing and label design on the bottle body, displaying product information and brand image, playing a good role in promotion and advertising.

II. The Significance of Recycling: A Win-Win Situation for Environment Protection And Resources

1. Relieve White Pollution

Plastic, once one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, has now become a heavy burden on the Earth’s environment. The natural degradation process of plastics is extremely long, usually taking 200-400 years. This is because the polymer structure of plastics is very stable and difficult to decompose by microorganisms in nature. During the long degradation process, plastics gradually break down into tiny particles, known as microplastics, which can enter soil, water bodies, and the atmosphere, causing serious damage to ecosystems.

Waste PET bottles, as an important source of white pollution, generate a huge amount every year. Think about the mineral water bottles and beverage bottles that we casually discard in our daily lives. If they are not recycled, they will exist in the natural environment for hundreds of years. These discarded PET bottles are piled up in landfills, occupying a large amount of land resources, and they are difficult to be absorbed by the soil, which can damage the structure and fertility of the soil and affect plant growth. Meanwhile, if waste PET bottles enter the ocean, they can have a fatal impact on the marine ecosystem. Marine organisms may accidentally consume these plastic bottles, leading to intestinal blockage, malnutrition, and even death. According to statistics, a large number of marine organisms such as turtles and seabirds die every year due to ingesting plastic. Plastic waste in the ocean has formed a huge ‘garbage belt’, seriously threatening the survival of marine organisms.

Recycling PET bottles is an important measure to alleviate white pollution. By recycling, we can reduce the amount of waste PET bottles entering the natural environment and lower their pollution to soil, water bodies, and oceans. The moment we put PET bottles into the recycling bin, we are already contributing to the protection of the earth’s environment. Recycled PET bottles can be reprocessed and reused to become new products, thereby reducing the demand for new plastics and indirectly reducing the generation of plastic waste.

2. Reuse

The recycling of PET bottles is a wonderful journey of resource circulation. The recycled PET bottles will first be sent to a professional recycling factory. Here, they will undergo a series of complex and intricate processing procedures. The first step is classification. The staff will separate PET bottles of different colors and materials, as PET bottles of different colors and materials may require different processing methods in the subsequent processing. Next is crushing, PET bottles will be crushed into small pieces for subsequent cleaning and processing. Cleaning is a crucial step, as special cleaning techniques can remove dirt, labels, and residual liquids from PET bottles, ensuring the purity of the recycled PET material. The cleaned PET fragments will be dried and then enter the melting stage. At high temperatures, the PET fragments will melt into a liquid state and then be reshaped into various shapes and specifications of recycled PET materials through specific processes.

These recycled PET materials have a wide range of applications. In the packaging industry, they can be made into new PET bottles to continue providing packaging services for products such as beverages and food. Many well-known brands have started using recycled PET materials to make packaging bottles, which not only reduces dependence on native PET materials, but also lowers carbon emissions. In the textile industry, recycled PET materials can be processed into polyester fibers for the production of clothing, home textiles, and other products. Some of the sportswear you wear may be made of polyester fiber fabric made from recycled PET bottles. This fabric not only has good breathability and moisture absorption, but also has environmentally friendly characteristics, allowing you to enjoy fashion while contributing to the cause of environment protection. Recycled PET materials can also be used to manufacture automotive components, electronic product casings, etc., playing an important role in the industrial field.

The recycling of PET bottles has achieved the recycling of resources and saved a lot of raw materials and energy. Compared with producing native PET materials, recycling PET bottles to produce recycled PET materials can save a lot of oil resources, as PET production requires a large amount of oil consumption. At the same time, the energy consumption during the recycling process is much lower than that of the production process of native PET materials, which helps reduce carbon emissions and alleviate the pressure of global warming.

III. The ‘Mastermind Behind’ Determining The Number of Recycling Times

1. Changes in Molecular Structure

The molecular structure of PET bottles is like a long chain composed of countless closely connected chain links, which are interconnected through chemical bonds to form a stable and orderly structure. When PET bottles are manufactured, their molecular chains have specific lengths and arrangements, which endow PET bottles with good physical properties such as strength, toughness, and transparency.

However, every recycling process is like pulling and reshaping this molecular chain. During the recycling process, PET bottles first undergo a high-temperature melting stage. Under the action of high temperature, the thermal motion of molecular chains intensifies, and the originally tightly arranged molecular chains begin to become active. At the same time, chemical bonds can also be affected, and some weaker chemical bonds may break, resulting in a shortened length of the molecular chain.

Just like a necklace made up of many small beads, when we pull it hard, some of the connecting parts in the middle may break, the beads will scatter, and the length of the necklace will also become shorter. The shortening of PET molecular chains will directly lead to the deterioration of material properties. For example, after the molecular chain is shortened, the strength of PET material will decrease, and PET bottles that could originally withstand certain pressure may become more prone to breakage after multiple recyclables; Resilience will also decrease, becoming more brittle and hard, and more prone to breakage when subjected to external impact.

The decline in performance makes PET bottles unable to meet the requirements as packaging materials after a certain number of recycling cycles, thereby limiting their recycling frequency. Generally speaking, with the increase of recycling times, the degree of shortening of PET molecular chains will gradually intensify, and the deterioration of material properties will become more and more obvious, ultimately leading to the inability of PET bottles to be effectively recycled.

2. The Impact of Recycling Processes

The recycling process is like the ‘leader’ of the PET bottle recycling journey, which has a crucial impact on the frequency and quality of PET bottle recycling. The traditional recycling process, like an unskilled craftsman, often causes significant damage to the PET material when recycling and processing PET bottles.

In traditional recycling processes, the cleaning process of PET bottles may not be precise enough. Some residual dirt, label glue and other impurities are difficult to completely remove, and these impurities will mix into PET material during subsequent processing, affecting its performance. Moreover, traditional processes lack precise control over temperature and time during the high-temperature melting stage. Excessive temperature or prolonged heating time can exacerbate the breakage of PET molecular chains, leading to a decrease in material properties. During the extrusion molding process, traditional equipment and techniques may not be able to evenly distribute and shape PET materials, thereby affecting the quality and performance of the product.

In contrast, advanced recycling processes are like skilled masters who can minimize damage to the performance of PET materials to the greatest extent possible. In the cleaning process, advanced technology adopts efficient cleaning techniques and equipment, such as ultrasonic cleaning, chemical cleaning combined with physical cleaning, etc., which can more thoroughly remove impurities and pollutants on PET bottles, ensuring the purity of recycled PET materials. In the high-temperature melting stage, advanced processes can maintain good molecular structure stability and reduce molecular chain breakage of PET materials through precise temperature and time control, as well as advanced heating technologies such as induction heating and electromagnetic heating. During the extrusion molding process, advanced technology is equipped with high-precision extrusion equipment and molds, which can evenly distribute and shape PET materials, producing higher quality and more stable performance recycled PET products.

Some advanced recycling factories have adopted closed-loop recycling systems to directly convert recycled PET bottles into high-quality recycled PET materials for the production of new PET bottles, achieving true ‘bottle to bottle’ recycling. This advanced recycling process not only increases the frequency of PET bottle recycling, but also improves the quality of recycled PET products, enabling them to better meet market demand.

3. Interference from Impurities And Pollution

In the recycling process of PET bottles, impurities and pollution are like ‘troublemakers’ mixed into the ‘pure world’, which have a serious negative impact on the frequency of recycling and product quality. When PET bottles are recycled, various impurities and pollutants are often mixed in. Other types of plastics, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), etc., may be mixed with PET bottles. These different types of plastics have significant differences in chemical structure and physical properties compared to PET. During the recycling process, it is difficult to blend them evenly with PET, which can lead to uneven material properties and reduce the quality of recycled PET products.

Metal impurities, such as the metal parts on bottle caps and pull rings, may also mix into the PET bottle recycling stream. The presence of metals not only affects the processing performance of PET materials, but may also undergo chemical reactions with PET during high-temperature melting, changing the molecular structure of PET and thus affecting the performance of products. Dirt, dust, residual beverages and other pollutants are also common problems. These pollutants can reduce the purity of PET materials, affect their transparency and color, and may also trigger chemical reactions, leading to a decrease in material properties. Some residual beverages contain sugar, acidic substances, etc. During the recycling process, they may corrode the PET molecular chains and accelerate their breakage.

In order to reduce the interference of impurities and pollution, it is necessary to strengthen garbage classification and recycling management at the front end of PET bottle recycling, and improve the purity of PET bottle recycling. In the recycling factory, advanced separation technologies and equipment such as near-infrared spectroscopy sorting technology and density sorting technology should be used to strictly screen and separate the recycled PET bottles, removing impurities and pollutants. We also need to optimize the cleaning process to ensure that PET bottles can be thoroughly cleaned, providing high-quality raw materials for subsequent recycling and processing.

IV. Industry Data: A True Reflection of Recycling Times

1. Ordinary Disposable PET Bottle

In actual industry data, the recycling times of ordinary disposable PET bottles has a relatively clear definition. Generally speaking, ordinary disposable PET bottles can only be recycled up to 10 times. This is because during each recycling process, the molecular chains of PET material are damaged. As the number of recycling cycles increases, the molecular chains shorten and the performance of the material gradually deteriorates.

When we process recycled PET bottles, only about 30% of the processed PET can be used to produce new disposable bottles. This is because the production of new disposable bottles requires high performance of PET materials, and after multiple recyclables, only some PET materials with relatively good performance can meet the requirements. The remaining 70% of PET material will be used to produce other products such as textiles, plastic trays, zip ties, etc. These products have relatively low performance requirements for PET materials and can accept recycled PET materials with reduced performance. Due to the further decrease in material properties of these products after use, it is difficult to recycle and process them back into PET bottles, which to some extent limits the number of times PET bottles can be recycled and the integrity of their recycling.

2. Reusable PET Bottles

Reusable PET bottles have shown greater potential in recycling. These PET bottles are usually cleaned with a strong NaOH solution after use. Strong NaOH solution has strong corrosiveness and can effectively remove dirt, residual substances, and microorganisms inside the bottle, achieving disinfection and sterilization effects, ensuring that the bottle can be safely used again.

After this cleaning method, reusable PET bottles can be reused up to 20 times. This data has significant advantages compared to ordinary disposable PET bottles. Taking the relevant situation in Germany as an example, the PET bottle storage system in Germany distinguishes between disposable and multi-purpose or recyclable bottles. Reusable PET bottles are refilled after cleaning and disinfection, greatly improving the efficiency of resource utilization. Assuming that a reusable PET bottle can complete the work of 15 disposable PET bottles, Germany can save approximately 260000 tons of PET per year by fully converting to multi-purpose use. This fully demonstrates the enormous potential of reusable PET bottles in saving resources and reducing PET material production, and also provides a better choice for sustainable development.

V. Actual Case: Realistic Interpretation of Recycling Times

1. Practice in Germany

In Germany, the recycling of PET bottles is exemplary, with its unique PET bottle storage system that clearly distinguishes between disposable and multi-purpose or recyclable bottles. In the streets and alleys of Germany, you will see different types of recycling containers, and people have already developed the good habit of sorting and disposing of PET bottles.

For reusable PET bottles, Germany has adopted advanced barrier coating technology. This technology deposits a silicon oxide (SiOx) barrier coating on the surface of PET bottles through plasma technology, effectively improving the gas barrier performance of PET bottles and greatly extending the shelf life of fruit juice or carbonated beverages. Traditional SiOx coatings lack resistance to corrosive caustic soda (NaOH) used for cleaning recyclable bottles, while the coating system developed in Germany can withstand NaOH, paving the way for more frequent recycling of reusable PET bottles. The PET bottles processed by this technology can be disinfected and refilled after cleaning with strong NaOH solution, and the recycling times have been increased from 10 times for ordinary PET bottles to 20 times.

Assuming that there are a large number of disposable PET bottles in the non-alcoholic beverages sold in Germany each year, if these bottles are partially replaced with reusable PET bottles, based on the calculation that one reusable PET bottle can complete the work of 15 disposable PET bottles, Germany can save approximately 260000 tons of PET per year when fully converted to multi-purpose. This not only reduces the demand for native PET materials, lowers energy consumption and carbon emissions, but also reduces the generation of plastic waste, playing a positive role in promoting environment protection.

2. Pepsi’s ‘Plastic Reduction Plan’

PepsiCo’s efforts in the field of sustainable development are evident, and its ‘plastic reduction plan’ has received much attention. PepsiCo actively promotes the application of r-PET material, which is a recycled PET material obtained by recycling PET products or containers, such as PET beverage bottles.

PepsiCo purifies recycled PET products to varying degrees, enabling r-PET materials to meet the needs of different fields. In the field of food packaging, PepsiCo has replaced the packaging bottles of PepsiCo branded products with 100% rPET plastic bottles in multiple markets. In Europe, PepsiCo’s main products in 11 markets and sugar free products sold in the United States have adopted 100% rPET plastic bottles, and plans to replace all PepsiCo brand products with 100% rPET plastic bottles by 2030. PepsiCo estimates that using 100% rPET plastic bottles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 30% per bottle.

In addition to beverage bottles, PepsiCo’s other product packaging is gradually adopting r-PET material. Our snack brands use plastic containing r-PET material in their packaging, which not only reduces the use of virgin plastic but also provides consumers with more environmentally friendly product choices. In the packaging production process, PepsiCo continuously optimizes its production technology, increases the proportion of r-PET material used, and reduces energy consumption and waste emissions. PepsiCo also actively collaborates with suppliers to promote the development of the r-PET material supply chain, ensuring stable and high-quality r-PET material supply.

VI. Password to Increase Recycling Times

1. Innovative Recycling Technology

Innovative recycling technologies are key to increasing the frequency of PET bottle recycling, with chemical and physical recycling improvement technologies being particularly prominent.

Chemical recycling technologies, such as methanol alcoholysis, hydrolysis, and ethylene glycol alcoholysis, partially or completely degrade waste PET materials into raw chemical materials through chemical reactions. Taking hydrolysis as an example, under appropriate temperature and pressure, PET will be converted into terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Chinese scientists have developed a new catalytic hydrolysis method using TPA as a catalyst, successfully achieving a 100% conversion rate of PET and obtaining high-purity TPA. The alcoholysis method mainly generates dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and EG through polyester ester exchange reaction at low temperature and high pressure, which is currently a mature and industrially promising technology. Chemical recycling technology can break the limitations of traditional physical recycling, achieve high-quality reuse of PET, greatly increase the recycling times of PET bottles, and open up new paths for the recycling of PET bottles.

Physical recycling technology is also constantly improving. Traditional physical recycling obtains clean PET bottle fragments by classifying, cleaning, crushing, and drying waste PET, but there is a problem of material performance degradation after multiple recycling processes. Nowadays, some enterprises and research institutions have improved the efficiency and quality of physical recycling by improving processes and equipment. German engineering company BB and VarioFil have achieved integrated recycling of PET waste and developed an inline direct spinning process, successfully converting post consumer PET waste into high-performance polyester spinning. This improved physical recycling technology not only reduces the damage to the performance of PET materials during the recycling process, but also produces higher quality recycled products, thereby increasing the recycling times of PET bottles.

2. Optimize The Recycling Process

Optimizing the recycling process from multiple stages such as source classification, transportation and storage, sorting and processing plays an important role in increasing the frequency of PET bottle recycling.

At the source classification stage, strengthen public education, enhance people’s awareness and ability of garbage classification, so that PET bottles can be more accurately placed and collected. In some communities and schools, carry out garbage classification promotion activities, through lectures, posters, volunteer guidance, etc., to let residents and students understand the importance of PET bottle recycling and the correct classification methods. Set up specialized PET bottle recycling containers and label them clearly to facilitate people’s disposal. This can reduce the mixing of PET bottles with other waste, improve the purity of recycling, and provide better raw materials for subsequent recycling and processing.

The transportation and storage process cannot be ignored either. Use appropriate transportation and storage methods to ensure that PET bottles are not damaged or contaminated during transportation and storage. Use sealed transport vehicles to prevent PET bottles from being contaminated by rainwater, dust, and other contaminants during transportation; When storing, choose a dry and ventilated environment to prevent PET bottles from getting damp, moldy, or being corroded by other substances. Reasonably plan transportation routes and storage space, improve transportation and storage efficiency, and reduce costs.

The sorting process is the key to the recycling process. By utilizing advanced sorting technologies and equipment, such as near-infrared spectroscopy sorting technology and density sorting technology, PET bottles can be more accurately separated from other impurities. Near infrared spectroscopy sorting technology utilizes the different absorption characteristics of near-infrared light by different materials to quickly and accurately identify PET bottles and separate them from other impurities such as plastics, metals, and paper. Density sorting technology separates PET bottles from other substances based on the difference in density, using methods such as water separation and gas separation. During the sorting process, manual sorting can also be combined to further screen impurities that are difficult to identify by machines, ensuring the purity of the recycled PET bottles. Optimizing the cleaning process, using efficient cleaning equipment and cleaning agents, can more thoroughly remove dirt, labels, and residual substances on PET bottles, improve the quality of recycled PET materials, and lay the foundation for increasing the frequency of PET bottle recycling.

3. Strengthen Policy Support

The series of policies introduced by the government, such as deposit refund system, tax incentives, subsidies, etc., play an important role in promoting PET bottle recycling and increasing the frequency of recycling.

The deposit refund system is an effective incentive measure. In Austria, starting from January 2025, a deposit system will be implemented for plastic bottles and beverage cans. Consumers are required to pay a deposit of 25 euro cents upon purchase, which can be retrieved upon return of the bottle or can. This measure encourages consumers to actively return used PET bottles to recycling points, increasing the recycling rate of PET bottles. By increasing the recycling rate of PET bottles, more PET bottles can enter the recycling process, increasing the possibility of recycling more times. The deposit refund system can also reduce the indiscriminate disposal of bottles in urban and natural environments, reduce environmental pollution, and provide a stable source of raw materials for recycling enterprises.

Tax incentives have encouraged companies to participate in PET bottle recycling. For enterprises engaged in PET bottle recycling and reuse, relevant taxes will be reduced, operating costs will be lowered, and economic benefits will be improved. This can attract more enterprises to invest in the PET bottle recycling industry and promote the development of the recycling industry. After obtaining tax incentives, enterprises have more funds for technology research and equipment updates, improving recycling efficiency and quality, indirectly increasing the frequency of PET bottle recycling.

Subsidy policies are also an important means to promote PET bottle recycling. The government can provide subsidies to recycling companies and provide corresponding financial support based on the quantity of PET bottles they recycle and process. Provide additional rewards to enterprises with large recycling volumes and advanced recycling technologies to encourage them to improve their recycling capabilities and technological levels. Subsidy policies can also be used to support the infrastructure construction of PET bottle recycling, such as building more recycling stations, improving transportation networks, etc., to create better conditions for PET bottle recycling and thereby increase the frequency of PET bottle recycling.

VII. Future Outlook: Infinite Possibilities for PET Bottles Recycling

With the rapid development of technology and the increasing awareness of environment protection, the future of PET bottle recycling is full of infinite possibilities. In terms of technological innovation, we have reason to expect more advanced recycling technologies to continue to emerge. Chemical recycling technology may achieve greater breakthroughs, enabling more efficient and cost-effective degradation and regeneration of PET materials, further improving the frequency and quality of PET bottle recycling. The physical recycling technology will also continue to improve, by optimizing equipment and processes to reduce the impact of the recycling process on the performance of PET materials, so that recycled PET materials can better meet the needs of high-end applications.

At the policy level, governments around the world will continue to strengthen support and regulation for PET bottle recycling. More countries may follow Austria and other countries to implement deposit refund systems and increase the recycling rate of PET bottles. Tax incentives and subsidy policies will continue to be improved, encouraging more enterprises to participate in the PET bottle recycling industry and promoting the scale and specialization of the industry.

The improvement of public environmental awareness will also create a more favorable social environment for PET bottle recycling. More and more people are paying attention to environment protection and actively participating in garbage classification and recycling actions. In the future, we are expected to see more communities, schools, and enterprises carry out environment protection publicity activities, raise public awareness of the importance of PET bottle recycling, and create a good atmosphere for the whole society to participate in environment protection.

Let us look forward to a future where PET bottles can be efficiently recycled and reused multiple times, contributing to protecting the Earth’s environment and achieving sustainable development. In daily life, each of us can start from ourselves, do a good job in classifying PET bottles, actively support environmentally friendly products, and contribute to the environment protection cause with practical actions.