Ninety-seven percent of Canadians have access to a municipal recycling program and 93 percent of these programs offer plastics recycling. All of these programs are partially funded by Nestlé Waters Canada and its industry partners. The recovery rate for plastic averages 60 percent nationally, but varies between 55 and 80 percent across Canada.** Plastic water bottles account for about one-fifth of one percent of the municipal solid waste stream in Canada. They account for about 40 percent of all plastic beverage containers used in Canada, behind soft drinks and juices.
PET plastic water bottles are 100 percent recyclable and are the third most recycled product in Canada, behind newspapers and aluminum. They are also the third most valuable item in a recycling program and, when recycled, can be used to make playground equipment, automobile parts, carpeting, fleece clothing, sleeping bags, shoes, luggage, other plastic containers, etc.
Nestlé Waters Canada and its industry partners recently entered into a $7.2 million, three-year agreement with the Government of Quebec and municipalities across that province to collect and recycle plastic beverage containers and other recyclable materials in public spaces. The Company and the industry plan to roll out similar programs across Canada.
Through curbside recycling, bottle deposit, bottle depot, public spaces recycling and public education programs devoted to recycling and littering, Nestle Waters Canada will achieve its objective of 100 percent diversion of its products away from landfill.
What water bottles become...
**According to the provincial stewards responsible, 2008.