Research summary
Research summary
Topic summary
Virgin resin economics and unstandardized multi-layer packaging make domestic reprocessing unprofitable, forcing facilities to discard stock
Key research questions
- Investigate "How Much of What We Recycle Actually Gets Recycled?" from this distinct point of divergence: Upstream Packaging Design and Market Economics.
Important claims and supporting citations
Spain's €450/tonne virgin plastics tax proved insufficient to make rPET cost-competitive against virgin PET, leading bottlers to revert to the legally mandated 25% minimum recycled content.
According to NAPCOR Executive Director Laura Stewart, seven U.S. PET recycling facilities closed over a nine-month period, eliminating roughly 28% of total U.S. PET recycling capacity.
- https://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/looking-at-the-pet-landscape-with-napcor-executive-director-laura-stewart/
- https://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/industry-responds-greepeace-report-plastic-recycling/
- https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/10/25/greenpeace-report-no-us-plastic-is-truly-recyclable/
Price spreads approaching €600 per metric ton ($649) between food-grade rPET pellets and virgin PET led some European brands to reduce their recycled-content percentages.
In 2024, North America achieved a 39.2% PET bottle collection rate compared to a 30.2% final recycling rate, creating an approximate 9 percentage point yield loss between collection and actual recycling.
As of August 2025, virgin PET imported to the U.S. West Coast was priced around 50¢/lb (with contract rates down to 40¢/lb), and post-tariff Vietnamese PET at 45–48¢/lb continued to undercut U.S. domestic resin priced at 55–60¢/lb.
PET reclaimer rPlanet Earth shut down its operations in California as reported on September 12, 2025.
Recycled PET imports into the U.S. are categorized under the same trade classification codes as virgin PET, exposing imported rPET flakes and pellets to tariff price increases of 8 to 14 cents per pound.
As of June 2025 in Europe, virgin PET traded at approximately €1,000 per tonne while rPET reached €1,800 per tonne, representing an ~80% price premium driven by collection, cleaning, and reprocessing costs.
Ver todas las afirmaciones (texto)
Afirmaciones
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According to The Recycling Partnership's system-wide model, only 21% of recyclable material generated by U.S.
According to The Recycling Partnership's system-wide model, only 21% of recyclable material generated by U.S. households is captured for recycling.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
RecyClass specifies strict limits on polypropylene content, PA6/PA6.6 barriers, tie layers, and laminating ad…
RecyClass specifies strict limits on polypropylene content, PA6/PA6.6 barriers, tie layers, and laminating adhesives in polyethylene flexible packaging for conditional recyclability.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Secondary plastics accounted for only 6% of global plastics production in 2019, despite a more than fourfold…
Secondary plastics accounted for only 6% of global plastics production in 2019, despite a more than fourfold increase in volume over the preceding 20 years.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
RecyClass guidelines state that EVOH is only 'limited compatible' in polyethylene flexible film up to 5% by w…
RecyClass guidelines state that EVOH is only 'limited compatible' in polyethylene flexible film up to 5% by weight, and incompatible above 5%.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
North American prices for clear, post-consumer rPET pellets declined by an average of 6 cents per pound over…
North American prices for clear, post-consumer rPET pellets declined by an average of 6 cents per pound over 2025 prior to tariff implementation.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Upstream fossil-fuel and primary-plastics subsidies artificially depress virgin feedstock prices, discouragin…
Upstream fossil-fuel and primary-plastics subsidies artificially depress virgin feedstock prices, discouraging the use of recycled resin, according to the OECD.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Recycled Plastic Processing Costs and Pricing Mechanisms
Recycled Plastic Processing Costs and Pricing Mechanisms
Labels: Inferred, Low
U.S. PET Recycling Capacity and Bottle Collection Rates
U.S. PET Recycling Capacity and Bottle Collection Rates
Labels: Inferred, Low
European PET and rPET Price Differentials
European PET and rPET Price Differentials
Labels: Inferred, Low
APR Design Guidelines and Label Contamination in PET Recycling
APR Design Guidelines and Label Contamination in PET Recycling
Labels: Inferred, Low
CalRecycle Facility Processing Losses and Residue Rates
CalRecycle Facility Processing Losses and Residue Rates
Labels: Inferred, Low
U.S. PET Tariffs and Import Pricing
U.S. PET Tariffs and Import Pricing
Labels: Inferred, Low
Recycled plastic prices generally track virgin polymer prices rather than reflecting the actual costs of coll…
Recycled plastic prices generally track virgin polymer prices rather than reflecting the actual costs of collection, sorting, washing, and reprocessing, according to OECD analysis.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
As of August 2025, virgin PET imported to the U.S.
As of August 2025, virgin PET imported to the U.S. West Coast was priced around 50¢/lb (with contract rates down to 40¢/lb), and post-tariff Vietnamese PET at 45–48¢/lb continued to undercut U.S. domestic resin priced at 55–60¢/lb.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
In 2024, North America achieved a 39.2% PET bottle collection rate compared to a 30.2% final recycling rate,…
In 2024, North America achieved a 39.2% PET bottle collection rate compared to a 30.2% final recycling rate, creating an approximate 9 percentage point yield loss between collection and actual recycling.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Adhesives on PET thermoform labels that resist washing or redeposit on flakes contaminate and discolor rPET f…
Adhesives on PET thermoform labels that resist washing or redeposit on flakes contaminate and discolor rPET flakes, serving as a primary operational barrier for reclaimers.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
The Association of Plastic Recyclers establishes a maximum preferred surface-coverage ceiling of 55% for labe…
The Association of Plastic Recyclers establishes a maximum preferred surface-coverage ceiling of 55% for labels on PET containers with a body volume of 550 mL or less to prevent NIR and optical sorting failure.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
On September 5, 2025, the U.S.
On September 5, 2025, the U.S. government extended reciprocal tariffs to imported virgin PET resin as well as recycled PET (rPET).
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
A CalRecycle processor survey found facility residue rates ranging from 5% at certain manual or dual-stream o…
A CalRecycle processor survey found facility residue rates ranging from 5% at certain manual or dual-stream operations to 45% at mixed-waste processing facilities.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Recycled plastics command a 10% to 20% price premium over virgin resin across most market segments, with high…
Recycled plastics command a 10% to 20% price premium over virgin resin across most market segments, with higher differentials for food-grade rPET and polypropylene.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
In early March, rPET flakes briefly became €300/t cheaper than virgin PET due to virgin supply tightness caus…
In early March, rPET flakes briefly became €300/t cheaper than virgin PET due to virgin supply tightness caused by Strait of Hormuz export disruptions.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Spain's €450/tonne virgin plastics tax proved insufficient to make rPET cost-competitive against virgin PET,…
Spain's €450/tonne virgin plastics tax proved insufficient to make rPET cost-competitive against virgin PET, leading bottlers to revert to the legally mandated 25% minimum recycled content.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, known
According to NAPCOR Executive Director Laura Stewart, seven U.S.
According to NAPCOR Executive Director Laura Stewart, seven U.S. PET recycling facilities closed over a nine-month period, eliminating roughly 28% of total U.S. PET recycling capacity.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
The Association of Plastic Recyclers specifies that PET labels should have a polymer density below 1.0 g/cm³…
The Association of Plastic Recyclers specifies that PET labels should have a polymer density below 1.0 g/cm³ to enable float-sink separation from PET flakes.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
Price spreads approaching €600 per metric ton ($649) between food-grade rPET pellets and virgin PET led some…
Price spreads approaching €600 per metric ton ($649) between food-grade rPET pellets and virgin PET led some European brands to reduce their recycled-content percentages.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, known
CalRecycle's survey found a 5% to 10% process loss of target recyclables caused by sorting equipment failures…
CalRecycle's survey found a 5% to 10% process loss of target recyclables caused by sorting equipment failures, independent of inbound contamination.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
As of June 2025 in Europe, virgin PET traded at approximately €1,000 per tonne while rPET reached €1,800 per…
As of June 2025 in Europe, virgin PET traded at approximately €1,000 per tonne while rPET reached €1,800 per tonne, representing an ~80% price premium driven by collection, cleaning, and reprocessing costs.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Processing steps—specifically sorting, washing, and compounding—constitute the bulk of recycled resin's price…
Processing steps—specifically sorting, washing, and compounding—constitute the bulk of recycled resin's price premium over virgin material rather than collection costs.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Throughout 2023–2024, food-grade recycled PET was consistently more expensive than comparable virgin PET, wit…
Throughout 2023–2024, food-grade recycled PET was consistently more expensive than comparable virgin PET, with rPET quoted FOB while virgin PET was delivered-duty-paid.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
According to ICIS, rPET prices are largely decoupled from virgin PET prices because they are governed by inde…
According to ICIS, rPET prices are largely decoupled from virgin PET prices because they are governed by independent supply chain costs rather than standard virgin arbitrage mechanisms.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
The United States PET bottle recycling rate dropped to 30.2% in 2024 from a high of 32.5% in 2023, according…
The United States PET bottle recycling rate dropped to 30.2% in 2024 from a high of 32.5% in 2023, according to NAPCOR's 30th annual report.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
PET reclaimer rPlanet Earth shut down its operations in California as reported on September 12, 2025.
PET reclaimer rPlanet Earth shut down its operations in California as reported on September 12, 2025.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
PVC and PLA labels contaminate PET streams because their density is close enough to PET that they sink alongs…
PVC and PLA labels contaminate PET streams because their density is close enough to PET that they sink alongside PET flakes in float-sink tanks.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
Recycled PET imports into the U.S.
Recycled PET imports into the U.S. are categorized under the same trade classification codes as virgin PET, exposing imported rPET flakes and pellets to tariff price increases of 8 to 14 cents per pound.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Pricing spreads vary by polymer type: recycled translucent LDPE pellets traded at a small premium over virgin…
Pricing spreads vary by polymer type: recycled translucent LDPE pellets traded at a small premium over virgin LDPE, while recycled black ABS pellets traded at a discount compared to virgin ABS.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
On June 25, S&P Global assessed Northwest European virgin PET at €980 per tonne, which was €676 lower than th…
On June 25, S&P Global assessed Northwest European virgin PET at €980 per tonne, which was €676 lower than the price of food-grade rPET pellets.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known