Republic Services Urges Consumers to Recycle Plastic Water Bottles This Earth Month
This Earth Month, Republic Services is encouraging consumers to take a simple yet impactful action: recycle their plastic water bottles. With the recycling rate for single-use water bottles at just 33%, nearly 7 out of 10 bottles are still ending up in the trash instead of being reused.
There’s a big misconception that plastic can’t be recycled,” said Pete Keller, Vice President of Recycling and Sustainability at Republic Services. “In fact, we recycle over 300 million pounds of plastic each year. These materials are in high demand for making new bottles and jugs. Recycling water bottles is easy—and every bottle counts.
Republic Services operates one of the largest networks of plastics recycling facilities in the country, designed to turn used bottles and jugs collected from curbside bins into new plastic containers. The company plans to invest $500 million in expanding these recycling capabilities over the next few years. In 2024 alone, Republic Services recycled more than 2.5 billion plastic water bottles.
Key Facts About Plastic Bottle Recycling:
Only 3 in 10 water bottles are currently recycled.
7 in 10 bottles are discarded, despite being recyclable.
A plastic bottle can be recycled an estimated six times.
Bottles should be empty, clean, and dry before recycling.
Keep the cap on the bottle when placing it in the recycling bin.
To promote awareness and transparency, Republic Services is partnering with the Association of Plastic Recyclers this May for a nationwide open house. These events will give the public a behind-the-scenes look at how recyclables are sorted and processed into valuable raw materials.
Every bottle recycled helps reduce waste, conserve resources, and support a circular economy. This Earth Month, Republic Services challenges everyone to make a difference—one bottle at a time.
About Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. is a leader in the environmental services industry. Through its subsidiaries, the Company provides customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, solid waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services. Republic’s industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on its vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world.
Leave a Reply