AROMATICA collects empty cosmetic containers. We also collect clear PET bottles from food and beverage products. We go out of our way to create dedicated collection boxes and send them to collection points. We go out of our way to drive an electric truck and collect the materials ourselves. We go out of our way to weigh them and send them to recycling material partners.
But why go this far?
Because cleanly collected resources can become higher-quality recycled materials. And because well-sorted clear PET has the potential to become raw material for new containers once again. This naturally leads us to the next question: Where does the clear PET we collect go next? And what process does it go through before becoming a reusable material again?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how clear PET becomes recycled raw material. From clear PET bottles being crushed into flakes, to those flakes being processed into small pellets, we’ll walk you through the essential steps that allow PET to move one step closer to becoming a container again.
Please note that the exact recycling process may vary depending on the recycling facility.
Two words often appear in the process of turning clear PET back into raw material: flake and pellet.
Simply put, flakes are PET pieces that have been finely crushed. Pellets are flakes that have been further processed into a form that is easier to use as a raw material. PET is sorted, crushed, washed, and separated to become flakes, then processed again into pellets.
Flake
A thin, crushed piece of recycled PET made by shredding PET bottles.
Pellet
A small, grain-like recycled raw material made by melting, extruding, and cutting PET flakes.
Part 1. From PET Bottle to Flake
1. Bale Arrival & Opening
At a flake processing facility, compressed bundles of PET bottles arrive first. These cube-shaped bundles are called bales. Because PET bottles are light but bulky, they are compressed to make transportation and storage more efficient.
Inside a bale, various types of PET bottles may be mixed together, including water bottles and beverage bottles. Some may still have labels attached, caps left on, or liquid residue inside. This is why even materials that have already passed through a sorting facility need to be checked and separated once again.
When clear PET is collected separately from the beginning, as it is through the Join the Circle campaign, it can help reduce the energy, water, and cost required for later sorting and washing.
Before entering the main process, the compressed bale is opened. The tightly bound PET bottles are loosened and moved onto a conveyor belt. From this point on, the sorting process begins in earnest.
2. Sorting
As the PET bottles move along the conveyor belt, workers visually inspect them by hand. They check whether colored PET is mixed in with clear PET, whether any bottles are heavily contaminated, and whether other plastic materials or foreign substances are included.
This step may look simple, but it is extremely important. The quality of recycled raw material can change significantly depending on the accuracy of the initial sorting process.
3. Crushing
The sorted PET is then crushed into small pieces. These thin pieces are called flakes.
However, flakes created immediately after crushing do not contain PET alone. Bottle caps, cap rings, label fragments, and other materials that were not fully removed may still be mixed in. This is why additional separation steps are required even after crushing.
4. Sink-Float Separation
The crushed pieces are placed into a water tank. This process uses the difference in how materials either float or sink in water. It is called sink-float separation.
For example, PET sinks in water, while PE and PP materials, which are commonly used for bottle caps, tend to float. This difference makes it possible to separate PET from other materials.
5. Air Separation & Foreign Material Removal
After sink-float separation, air separation is carried out. This step uses airflow to blow away lightweight label fragments and other foreign materials, helping to further refine the PET pieces.
Additional steps, such as metal removal, may also be included depending on the facility. The goal is to continuously remove non-PET materials and contaminants to create the cleanest possible raw material.
6. Washing & Optical Sorting
The separated flakes are washed several times to remove adhesive residue, label remnants, and other impurities. After washing, they go through optical sorting.
Optical sorting uses light and sensors to identify the color and material of each flake. It is a step where machines detect colored pieces or foreign substances that may be difficult for the human eye to catch.
Purity is especially important for clear PET. Even a small amount of colored material or non-PET plastic can affect the transparency and quality of the final recycled material. That is why the flakes are refined through detailed sorting until they become cleaner and more consistent.
7. Completed Flakes
After repeated sorting, separation, and washing, clear PET flakes are finally completed. These flakes can be used as recycled raw material, and some products may use recycled material directly in flake form.
However, to make products that require consistent physical properties and stable quality, such as containers, flakes usually need to be processed one step further into pellets.
Part 2. From Flake to Pellet
1. Feeding the Flakes
The completed flakes are transferred to the pelletizing process. Flakes packed in bags are fed into the equipment, and the process of melting and extrusion begins.
Although the flakes have already been sorted and washed, their size and shape are not completely uniform. To create a more stable raw material, they are processed into pellets.
2. Melting & Extrusion
The flakes are melted at high temperature until they become close to a liquid state. During this process, the material is mixed more evenly and prepared for molding.
The melted PET is then pushed out in long, thin strands. This process is called extrusion. It allows the plastic material to be formed into a consistent shape, making the material flow and structure more uniform.
3. Cooling & Cutting
The long strands of PET are cooled and stabilized. They are then cut into a consistent size, creating small grain-like pieces called pellets.
Because pellets are relatively uniform in size and shape, they are easier to use as raw material for containers and various other products.
4. Completed Pellets
The completed pellets are used as recycled plastic raw material. Since pellets are more uniform than flakes, they are especially useful for making high-quality PCR products.
For cosmetic containers, transparency, color, strength, and molding stability are all important. This means that a consistent raw material is essential. For the clear PCR containers that AROMATICA aims to create, the pellet stage holds significant value.
A single clear PET bottle carries a more detailed and complex journey than we might expect. High-quality clear PET has strong industrial value and holds the potential to circulate back into its original form again and again. Yet in reality, a large amount of PET is still contaminated, mixed with other materials, or lost before it can be properly recycled.
When proper sorting in our daily lives meets the collection efforts of Join the Circle, this long recycling process can become more complete and more meaningful.
If you now understand the journey all the way to the pellet stage, you are officially a clear PET expert. We hope you will continue to join the journey of possibility created by the small but sincere actions of Join the Circle.