Photo by note thanun on Unsplash (illustrative)
Japan's Council for PET Bottle Recycling reported in its 2025 annual figures that 85.1% of the PET drink bottles sold in the country in fiscal year 2024 were recycled. The rate beat the council's 85% target for another year.
Like this story? Get 7 verified good-news stories like it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, free. Subscribe in 10 seconds →
Key facts
About 652,000 tonnes of designated PET bottles were sold in fiscal 2024.
Recycling inside Japan rose 7.2% to 445,000 tonnes, while material sent abroad for recycling fell 12.8% to 110,000 tonnes.
The council says growing demand for turning old bottles into new ones is pushing domestic recycling up.
By the council's comparison, recycling rates were 42.7% in Europe and 19.6% in the United States in 2021.
Why it matters
Japan has kept its PET bottle recycling rate above 85% year after year, a level its industry council calls the highest in the world. Recycling more bottles at home, increasingly into new bottles, reduces reliance on exporting waste and on new plastic.
Worth noting
The comparison with Europe and the US uses older data for those regions and figures compiled by the Japanese industry council, so methods may differ. A high recycling rate does not reduce the number of bottles produced in the first place.
More good news, 3 minutes, 3 times a week. Join SOVIDAY free →