Plastic Recycling in the US, a blog post by EcoGoodz, credential used clothing suppliers

As a credential used clothing supplier, we help to keep used clothing and used shoes out of landfills. We love to read and hear about other companies that are doing the same in their own spheres. Arrowhead is just such a company.

Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. In just eight hours, that’s 20 million plastic bottles. By the end of a full week that’s 420 million plastic bottles!–most of which are thrown away. Which is shameful since PET plastic can be recycled into many different products including clothing, fiberfill for sleeping bags, toys, stuffed animals, rulers, and more. (source)

Clearly, the US Has a Recycling Problem. Or, rather, the people of the United States have a recycling problem. According to the following infographic produced by Arrowhead, only 29% of all PET plastic beverage bottles were recycled in the US, 2.8 billion plastic bottles were NOT recycled in California in 2011, and most beverage bottles are NOT made from recycled plastic.

Arrowhead is trying to change that by using recycled plastics to manufacture water bottles. In 2015 the company promised to increase its use of recycled content by 38% in many of its most popular water bottle sizes by the end of this year. According to their website,

“Using recycled content, plastic products and other materials are converted back into new bottles,” said Dave Thorpe, Supply Chain Director for Nestlé Waters’ Arrowhead brand. “In this ‘closed loop’ model, recycled packaging can be reused indefinitely and can help foster a circular economy that prioritizes sustainability.”

Arrowhead is partnering with Los Angeles-based CarbonLITE Industries LLC, one of the largest producers of food-grade, post-consumer recycled PET in the world, to provide the rPET material used in its bottles. The recycled materials are primarily collected in California.

”California’s recycling program leads the nation, recovering billions of plastic containers each year. By reusing these materials, Arrowhead will save 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide from production annually. That’s a significant reduction in greenhouse gases and a model for other packaging companies,” said Leon Farahnik founder and CEO of CarbonLITE.

Recycling is a critical first step in the implementation of rPET, especially as plastic recycling is one of the most effective ways to reduce landfill waste, conserve natural resources, and control the environmental impact of sourcing new materials. (source)