Plastic #1: PET
Recyclable?
Blue Bins & Chutes
Other Recycling
Recommended
Specialised Recycling
Is it a PET bottle?
Reverse vending machines are the best way to ensure plastic PET bottles are recycled
Reverse Vending Machines
Alternative
Recycling Bins & Chutes
While Singapore's plastic recycling rates are low (this is not unique to Singapore and is a global issue) this PET plastic is one of the better ones to put in the blue bins. Make sure it is rinsed!
Be weary of putting plastic in the segregated bin system which splits materials by paper, metal, plastic&glass.
Because plastic and glass have virtually no value, sometimes the "plastic&glass" bin simply gets dumped into the green trash bin. This does NOT happen with blue bins... but even in blue bins, plastic recycling rates are extremely low. If you really want to maximise the chance of these bottles getting recycled, find a reverse vending machine.
Blue Bins
Alternative
Trash
Does the bottle have any food waste like oil or sauce? Do not recycle it. Throw it directly into the trash.
Likewise if the plastic is NOT a bottle or if the PET is not see-through, the chance of it being recycled is low. Don't go out of your way to try recycle it.
General Waste
Info & Insights
Plastic #1, also known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is a type of plastic commonly used in the production of beverage containers such as water bottles, soda bottles, and juice containers.
Quite often, when a plastic is rigid and see-through, it is PET. PET is sometimes opaque and coloured, but this is less common..
While most types of plastic are not actually recycled, PET water bottles often are. It is definitely worthwhile trying to recycle clear PET plastic bottles.
When PET is bad…
Occasionally you may also find vitamins in dark #1 PET bottles. For instance the brand Optimum Nutrition uses this for many of its products.
While coloured PET is theoretically recyclable, it is virtually never recycled in practice because it is technically challenging to sort and process. It just costs too much to recycle it.
For such containers, we recommend that you find alternative uses for them or throw them in the trash. They will not be recycled if you put them in a recycling bin.
