Next time you pull out the sleeping bag or pull on a fleece pullover, take a second look at what you’re holding. Chances are that the insulation used in that sleeping bag or the fleece itself is made from recycled plastic bottles. That’s right. As more and more Canadians increase their recycling efforts, more and more recycled plastic is finding its way into popular consumer applications. Did you know, for example, that it takes approximately 25 two-litre plastic pop bottles to make one medium-sized fleece pullover? Or that it takes 85 recycled pop bottles to make enough insulation to fill one large sleeping bag? How about carpeting? It takes 14 of those plastic bottles to make one square foot.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to all of those plastic bottles that you faithfully sort and collect in your municipal recycling programs, then wonder no more. More than likely, your municipality sends its recyclable plastic and other materials to a Materials Recovery Facility. Here, the plastic is sorted and bundled before being sold to a plastic recycler. From there, it’s a whole new world of opportunity.
Today, recycled PET which is the material used in plastic pop bottles is high in demand across North America. That means your municipality will more than likely be able to sell all of the PET it can get. The reason the material is so popular is because there are many well-established end markets. One of the largest of these is fibre for carpets, blankets, upholstery and stuffing for not just sleeping bags but ski jackets, cushions and mattresses. In this case, the recycled plastic is made into flakes, melted and then extruded into hair-like strands. The fibres are then crimped, cut and baled so that they can be spun into yarn and knitted or woven into fabric.
I first heard about this several years ago. I have worn fleece vests made from recycled pop bottles and they are very comfortable and warm. You would never have guessed, unless someone told you, that they were made from the Coke bottle you drank last week!
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