A Study on the Improvement Plan for the Colorless PET Bottle Separation Discharge From Waste Collection System

Among plastic packaging materials, colorless pet bottles have high added value as recyclable resources. Still, most of them are currently recycled as medium and low-grade materials due to the mixing of other items and foreign substances in the discharge stage. The Ministry of Environment implemented a pilot project to separate and discharge only colorless PET bottles from the existing recycling system to increase the recycling quality of colorless bottles. To analyze the results of the pilot project, step-by-step monitoring was carried out. This study analyzed the performance and expected effects of separate discharge for colorless pet bottles according to population indicators, economic indicators, and environmental indicators. As a result of this analysis, problems, such as not removing labels and reducing discharge, were identified. It was deemed necessary to take measures to address these problems by implementing public relations for residents and introducing separate discharge assistants. In the screening phase, the quality level of colorless pet bottle compressed products increased due to decreased imports of residues and non-target materials at the pilot project. In the recycling phase, we expected higher prices for colorless pet bottles and increased recycling quality. However, the effect of recycling companies’ separate process lines was insignificant due to the low reliability of pet bottle selection. If these problems are resolved, economic benefits from increased material recycling through high-quality raw material recycling and higher unit prices are expected.