allplasticbottles.org Why Collect "All Plastic Bottles?"

"Converting to an 'all plastic bottles' program has made it easier to educate the public and has cut down on our contamination rate for plastics."

- Jennifer Means,
City of Mesa, Arizona

"We've been collecting 'all plastic bottles' for almost 10 years and have had no problems."

- John Haas,
Ocean County Solid Waste, Toms River, NJ

"Collecting 'all plastic bottles' has definitely made it more convenient for the public to recycle. We've seen an increase in volumes collected each of the nine years since we began our program in 1992."

- Charles Bradshaw,
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base District, California

The main goal of any recycling program is to maximize public participation, increase amounts of post-consumer materials recycled and minimize contamination. Collecting ‘all plastic bottles’ is an excellent way to achieve higher recovery rates for plastic bottles, especially PET and HDPE, and reduce unwanted contaminants in your program at the same time.

An ‘all plastic bottle’ collection program makes it easier for consumers to recycle their plastic bottles. Consumers want to recycle their plastics but the resin identification code can be confusing. In some cases the code is difficult to locate on a bottle. In addition, the resin code is on wide mouth containers and some films, prompting consumers to ask why these aren’t recycled in their curbside or drop-off program. While a few municipal programs do collect containers and plastic grocery bags along with other recyclables, many programs do not, or they collect these materials separately, as in the case of grocery bag collection. Educating the public to check for the neck targets plastic bottles specifically, making it easier for consumers, which in turn can increase participation and reduce contamination from unwanted plastics.

By asking for all plastic bottles, a program can recover higher volumes of PET and HDPE. Since 95 percent of all plastic bottles produced are PET and HDPE, it is reasonable to assume that the more bottles you collect overall, the larger the percentage collected will be PET and HDPE. There are many new highly recyclable plastic bottles that are used in the home and on the go. Many of these bottles can be collected from the bath, from under the sink, from the pantry, your family room, or the car. If your program asks for ‘all plastic bottles’ you can help to recover these bottles that might otherwise by thrown away.