WRAP completes a year-long trial on recovered PET

11-Jul-06

WRAP - the Waste and Resources Action Programme - has declared making a "major breakthrough for plastics recycling" with the completion of a year-long trial on recovered PET. The project has included tests of recovered PET in millions of Diet Coke bottles, salad and sandwich packs and shampoo bottles. The trials involved Boots, Coca-Cola and Marks & Spencer using recovered PET to make new packaging for food and household products, demonstrating the viability of using recycled plastics in making new packaging containers. Tests reveal that the recycled PET "meets technical, commercial and safety requirements demanded by retailers". This commitment from major brand names signals a growth in demand for rPET, which will in turn stimulate UK recycling capacity and will also show consumers that there is a strong home market for the plastic they recycle - helping to motivate them to recycle more.