NPR has a great little piece today about the destiny of the (cue Carl Sagan) billions and billions of plastic water bottles that we go though every year, the majority of which end up in a landfill.
About 23% however, do wind up being recycled into various uses, typically carpeting or other downcycled products. Interestingly the majority of this new-found raw material is shipped to China. Although it’s very interesting that China has found a way to purchase and profit from our waste, what peaks my interest most is wondering about the remaining 77% of PET bottles that are being tossed in landfills. Sound’s like a monumental business opportunity to me.
The PET Bottle Glut – Looking for Solutions
By Nick Aster | June 11th, 2007 
6 Comments
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Comments
June 11, 2007 at 11:27 am PDT | Steve Puma writes:
This does sound like a great business opportunity. Have you ever heard of any ideas which could take the PET waste and turn it back into a technical nutrient, or otherwise keep from downcycling it?
June 11, 2007 at 14:29 pm PDT | slanted tom writes:
A 5 or 10 deposit on all such bottles will produce an army of PET recyclers.
June 11, 2007 at 20:31 pm PDT | Jon Gelbard writes:
Here you go on that 5 or 10 cent deposit – Oregon ahead of the curve: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/LEGISLATURE/706080341/1042
It’s about time – the disposable water bottle thing is ridiculous.
Especially since in many areas, the quality of tap water is better, while bottled water is, as the below article notes, “subject to less rigorous testing and purity standards than those which apply to city tap water.” http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp
June 11, 2007 at 20:46 pm PDT | Jon Gelbard writes:
Here’s a gem that demonstrates that the bottled water frenzy is not just wasteful, but is also pretty dumb: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=728070&page=1And
I love the subhead: Americans are spending billions on a drink that is virtually free.
Then again, another headline today read that the majority of Americans believe the earth is no more than 10,000 years old…
June 23, 2007 at 13:12 pm PDT | gabriel writes:
in israel there is a factory that is making plastic furniture from bottells the name of the factory is aviv: avivplastic.co.il.
at the botom of their site there is a boton for english.
also you can make from bottles fibers,from the fibers you can make clothes
June 23, 2007 at 13:14 pm PDT | gabriel writes:
in israel there is a factory that is making plastic furniture from bottells the name of the factory is aviv: avivplastic.co.il.
at the botom of their site there is a boton for english.
also you can make from bottles fibers,from the fibers you can make clothes