PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottle recycling is one of the most established and economically viable forms of plastic recycling. With growing environmental awareness and regulatory pressure, the demand for recycled PET (rPET) continues to increase globally.

The PET Recycling Process

A typical PET bottle recycling line follows these main steps:

1. Collection & Sorting: PET bottles are collected and sorted from other waste streams.
2. Bale Breaking: Compressed bales are opened and loosened.
3. Label Removal: Shrink sleeve labels are removed through friction or steam.
4. Crushing: Bottles are crushed into small flakes (typically 10-16mm).
5. Washing: Multiple washing stages remove contaminants.
6. Separation: Float-sink tanks separate PET from PE/PP caps.
7. Drying: Clean flakes are dried to low moisture content.
8. Quality Control: Color sorting and metal detection ensure purity.

Common Challenges

• Contamination from labels, adhesives, and food residues
• Mixed PET colors affecting output quality
• PVC contamination that degrades PET quality
• High water consumption in washing processes

Our Solutions

Beikelan’s PET bottle recycling lines incorporate advanced technology to address these challenges, including hot caustic washing, multi-stage rinsing, and automated sorting systems.