USAID-Plastic Recycling Project

	I'm your friend: the "PET-MAN" and I am going to tell you all about PET and PET recycling !

What is PET You probably use PET every day, but you do not even know it! PET is the name of the resin used to manufacture transparent, lightweight, shatter proof bottles. I bet you use those bottles many times a day, whenever you feel thirsty! PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate a chemical compound produced by combining the ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Polyethylene terephthalate's molecules consist of long chains of repeating units containing the organic elements carbon (C), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H). PET was first developed for use in 1941. Although originally produced for fibres, PET began to be used for packaging films in the mid 1960s and then, in the early 1970s, for manufacturing beverage bottles.
The manufacturing process of PET bottles is quite complex. It all starts with the PET resin. The resin is sold in the form of pellets, small masses similar in size to grains of rice. These pellets are first melted then they are injected into a first mould to produce preforms, the precursor of the bottle. Preforms look very much like test tubes.
The second step in the bottle production process is the so-called “stretch blow-moulding” phase. The preform is set within a second mould where it is heated so it becomes soft and fluid.
Next, high pressure air is blown inside the preform while at the same time it is being stretched. Since the preform is now soft, its walls are pushed against the walls of the mould giving the desired shape to the container.
Did you know that the PET molecules are strengthened during the manufacturing processes? The result is a light, strong and durable container. Imagine, a bottle of only 35 grams is sufficient to safely pack 1,5 litres of carbonated soft drink, without danger of breakage or explosion, even when internal pressure gets as high as 5 or 6 bars! PET containers are used for all sorts of beverages: still drinks, sparkling drinks and even drinks, such as beer and fruit juices that are sensitive to light. Indeed, the flavour of both fruit juices and beer can degrade if UV light penetrates the walls of the container. Some PET bottles can accommodate the needs of the likes of fruit juices, thanks to a functional barrier that can be inserted within the walls of the bottle. This is why those specific PET containers are referred to as “barrier bottles”. To learn more about PET and PET recycling, have a look at our video.

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