A familiar type of plastic packaging is made from a plastic called Polyethylene Terapthalate or "PET" for short. PET is a very versatile plastic resin used in packaging. The most recyclable (and recycled) forms of PET are clear and green bottles containing water and other popular beverages.

Recycled PET offers a wide range of desirable properties and characteristics for recycled content applications. Some of the products that can be manufactured with recycled PET include containers, recycling bins, fleece, carpet, car parts, strapping, stuffing for ski jackets, cushions, sleeping bags, etc., tennis ball cans and felt, twine, and thermoformed parts.

This compilation of Best Practices for PET Recycling, documents recycling industry methodology and recommendations for the efficient techniques and improved safety for each of the major recycling processing steps. It is intended to be a guideline for operators of recycling processes on various topics related to without infringing on any organization's proprietary process technology or techniques.

The Clean Washington Center acknowledges the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) and Mike Schedler, the American Plastics Council, the Association of PostConsumer Plastic Recyclers, John Fearncombe (Bottomline Consulting), and David Hurd for their technical contributions.