Recycling Technology and Supervision Strategies of Food Contact PET Bottle

Abstract

According to its excellent properties, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used as food containers in mineral water, soft drinks, beers, etc., resulting in a huge waste of PET bottles which increases the environmental burden. With the development of the recycling technology of PET bottles, the discarded PET bottles after consumption have been reused as food containers in many countries successfully. This paper is mainly focused on the new developments of chemical and physical PET recycling technology and its application in enterprises and outlines regulations in the United States, Canada, the European Union, Britain, Japan, South Korea and other countries. The relevant laws and regulations of PET recycling as food containers in our country have also been reviewed. The purpose of this paper is to provide reference opinions on recycling PET to produce food contact materials in China, including promoting waste classification management, improving the risk assessment systems, and formulating relevant national food safety standards.

Keywords

• pet
• recycling technology
• food contact material
• laws and regulations