PET bottles are also a valuable commodity after use – above all for reprocessing in the bottle-to-bottle loop. However, the global return rates for used PET bottles vary greatly: while in Germany around 97 per cent of PET-bottles are collected and submitted, in the USA the figure is just 28 per cent. Mexico is in the middle of the field at 59 per cent – two per cent above the European Union figure. Plastic returns also vary within the country itself: Mexico City, for example, has a collection rate of 96 per cent, while in some places outside the conurbations it is as low as 12 per cent.
Commitment to sustainability
ALPLA has been actively involved in plastic recycling around the world for many years. This is also the case in Mexico through the association with local recycling companies, the joint ventures IMER (Industria Mexicana de Reciclaje, S.A. de C.V.) and PLANETA (Planta Nueva Ecología de Tabasco S.A. de C.V.). ALPLA supports the collection of this useful plastic by paying for the receipt of used PET bottles. In doing so, it offers individuals, families and neighbourhood associations – the so-called ‘Socios Acopiadores’ – a means of earning an income.
