Plastic bottles that typically hold water, soda and juice are made from polyethylene terephthalate, a petroleum-based material also known as PET. These days, we are seeing more and more eco-products that boast about being made from PET, like recycled plastic bottles.
Polyethylene terephthalate is a thermoplastic polymer resin from the polyester family. It’s most often used in synthetic fibers, as a material for plastic bottles and food containers, and in engineering resins in combination with glass fiber. It’s extremely versatile and one of the most useful and important raw ingredients in man-made fibers.
Plastic containers bear the “arrow-triangle” symbol with a number 1-7, suggesting they are all recyclable, however, only numbers 1 and 2 can be recycled. PET is the most recyclable plastic, and is increasingly being made into an assorted throng of products.
PET can be recycled into fibers that are used for polyester fabrics. Major designers use recycled plastic bottles for haute couture. Five PET bottles yield enough fiber for one extra-large t-shirt or twenty-five two-liter bottles can make one sweater. Five two-liter PET bottles yield enough fiberfill for a ski jacket. PET is also spun like cotton candy to make fiber filling for pillows and quilts.
We’ll continue to buy and use plastic bottles, let’s hope people continue to come up with creative ways to recycle PET.
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