PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is one of the most widely used plastics worldwide. The beverage bottles, clear boxes, and food packaging you see every day are mostly made from PET. Among all plastics, PET offers the highest recycling value, the widest range of applications, and the most stable market demand.
As global brands impose higher rPET usage requirements and regulations continue to tighten, “PET recycling” is no longer just a subsidy-driven initiative or an environmental slogan. For manufacturers, it has become a critical pathway to lowering material costs and strengthening product competitiveness.
If your factory generates PET regrind, edge trim, off-spec products, or if you can secure a stable supply of post-consumer bottles, a reliable PET recycling and pelletizing machine will help you turn PET flakes into consistent rPET pellets—feeding them back into your own production instead of selling the material to recyclers at a low price.
This article walks you through PET characteristics, recycling processes, applications, and key design considerations for Geording’s equipment—giving you a clear and practical overview of how to perform PET recycling in a stable and profitable way.
What Is PET, and Why Is PET Recycling Especially Important?
Whether you produce transparent packaging, thermoforming trays, fiber products, or industrial applications, PET is likely present in your production environment. The material’s excellent properties and strong market demand—combined with shifting regulations, brand commitments, and ESG requirements—have made PET recycling an essential capability for modern manufacturers.
PET is widely recycled because of the following characteristics:
- High transparency and good mechanical strength
- Excellent processability for bottle preforms, sheet extrusion, fibers, and more
- Recycled PET can retain stable properties suitable for reuse
Growing demand for PET recycling is driven by several clear factors:
- Global brands are increasing mandatory rPET content percentages
- Many countries are restricting single-use plastics
- Factories want to improve raw material cost structure and supply stability
- ESG audits from customers and supply chains are becoming stricter
As a result, the ability to produce stable rPET pellets in-house has become a key competitive advantage for many companies.
Which PET Materials Are Suitable for Recycling?
A common question asked on-site is: “Can my PET material be recycled?”
PET recycling is not as complicated as it seems. The real keys are purity, cleanliness, and dryness. With proper pre-processing, most PET sources can be successfully converted into pellets. Below is a practical overview of the most common and easiest-to-process PET materials.
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Bottle-Grade PET (Beverage Bottles)
A stable, single-material stream—ideal for recycling. After sorting and washing, bottles become high-quality PET flakes. -
Washed PET Flakes
The primary raw material used in most PET pelletizing lines. When properly washed and dried, flakes can be fed directly into the recycling extruder. -
PET Edge Trim, Skeleton Waste, and Rejects
From sheet extrusion, thermoforming, and bottle-preform production. These materials typically contain minimal contamination and are very stable—making them the easiest for factories to recycle internally. -
PET Sheet and Thermoforming Edge Trim
Ideal for processors requiring stable rPET quality, including packaging manufacturers and tray producers. -
Sorted Bottle Bales
If your factory has access to large volumes of bottle bales, pairing them with a washing line enables a valuable and scalable source of PET recycling feedstock.
In summary: As long as PET material is sufficiently pure and properly cleaned and dried, bottle flakes, edge trim, and even bottle bales can all be converted into stable rPET pellets through a PET recycling and pelletizing system—ready for reuse or downstream sales.
What Equipment Do You Need for PET Pelletizing?
In PET recycling, consistent feeding, clean melt quality, and uniform pelletizing are the core factors that determine whether rPET pellets can be produced reliably.
Geording’s Force-Feeding Single-Stage Strand Pelletizing Recycling Machine is specifically designed for PET, PS, and engineering plastics with relatively high melt index.
Key advantages include:
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Force-Feeding Design
Ensures smooth feeding of light, fluffy PET flakes, preventing bridging and inconsistent material flow. The system can also be paired with crushers and mixing hoppers for improved stability. -
High Torque, Low Noise Operation
With high-torque motors and low-vibration structure, the machine runs steadily with minimal adjustments—making daily operation easier. -
Precise Temperature Control & Dual Venting
Improves melt quality while reducing issues such as bubbles, discoloration, and IV degradation caused by moisture and volatiles. -
Spaghetti (Strand) Pelletizing
Quiet, stable cutting with uniform pellet shape; simple maintenance; ideal for high-MI recycled plastics. -
User-Friendly Operation
Designed around real factory needs—easy to operate, easy to stabilize, and more reliable than traditional systems.
This type of single-stage machine is widely used by processors producing packaging materials, sheet extrusion, and fiber-grade rPET. It is one of the most practical and operator-friendly equipment choices for PET recycling.
What Other Materials Can Be Recycled?
In real production environments, factories rarely recycle only one type of plastic. Many manufacturers handle multiple plastic materials—such as appliance housings, caps, or packaging—resulting in mixed recycling streams.
If your equipment lacks versatility, recycling becomes difficult to integrate into daily operations.
Geording’s Force-Feeding Single-Stage Strand Pelletizer is not only suitable for PET—it can also process various engineering plastics and general-grade materials, including:
- PS cup lids and related packaging
- ABS, PC, PMMA (e.g., computer housings, phone casings, TV shells, refrigerator components)
- ABS, PC, PMMA (e.g., computer housings, phone casings, TV shells, refrigerator components)
This means a single machine can handle PET, ABS, PC, PS, and other materials—allowing factories to introduce recycling without investing in multiple lines.
Want to Start PET Recycling? Geording Helps You Clarify the Right Direction
When factories consider PET recycling, the biggest challenge is rarely whether they should do it—it’s that they don’t know where to start.
In reality, once you understand your material characteristics and capacity requirements, implementing PET recycling is far more straightforward than expected.
You should consider speaking with us if any of the following situations apply:
- Your factory generates PET edge trim, flakes, or mixed materials you want to turn into rPET
- You want to reduce your dependence on purchased raw materials
- You want to set up a PET recycling line but are unsure which equipment to choose
- You are unsure whether your material requires pre-processing
- You need guidance on equipment layout, utilities, or upstream systems
If you want to understand the process more clearly, we also recommend reading our article: “How to Start Plastic Recycling? Choose the Right Equipment to Build Your Own Recycling System.”
It highlights the most commonly overlooked factors in recycling projects—helping you avoid unnecessary costs and plan more confidently.
Ready to Evaluate Your PET Recycling Plan?
If you want a quick, professional assessment of your material, equipment selection, pre-processing requirements, or process optimization, feel free to contact us.
We will provide practical, reliable guidance based on your factory’s real operating needs.
Contact Geording today and let us help you build the most suitable PET recycling solution.