One of the most common single-use products you’ll find in any household these days is the plastic water bottle. By the end of a chaotic week of work meetings , family road trips, school runs, gym sessions and all the rest you’ve probably got a sizeable pile of empties to deal with. We come across this a lot and are more than happy to lend a hand in getting them sorted out properly.

We receive a lot of questions about recycling plastic water bottles in Davenport, from individuals and businesses alike. The good news is the process is pretty straightforward, although there are a few details that can make all the difference in whether those bottles end up being recycled or just end up in the reject pile.

Now when it comes to clear plastic water bottles most of them are made of PET, which is 100% recyclable with a market that’s actually stable, so you can breathe easy about that. Now the label on them, thats a different story. That’s a third type of plastic altogether and the cap is usually a different one again. In most places the cap and label are handled along with the bottle by the recycling machines , so you don’t need to worry about taking them off, but its a good idea to quickly give the bottle a rinse and just leave the cap on, rather than taking it off and throwing it away.

Clean plastic bottles are of course accepted at Eco Way Recycle as part of our overall recycling program. If you’re a regular household with a few bottles to get rid of, the easiest option for most people is to put them in the curbside recycling bin, but if you’ve got a large quantity such as leftover bottles from a work site or event we may be able to arrange for you to bring them in. Either way we’re happy to help out.

Things get a bit different for bottles that have a deposit in Iowa. Some bottles -usually those containing fizzy or alcoholic drinks. Have a deposit, but many water bottles dont, so you can get that five cents back per container when you return them to one of the designated redemption locations. For non-deposit bottles though, recycling is probably your best bet.

Recycling works a lot better if you follow a few simple rules. Before you chuck it in the bin make sure the bottle is empty. That liquid can contaminate other recyclables at the sorting facilities and that’s a right nuisance. When you put the bottle in the recycling bin try to keep it in one piece as much as possible. Packing other items inside can actually get the whole thing rejected and the machines can also handle bottles better when theyre not all squashed flat.

Some of you might be thinking do I really need to take the labels off? Well the answer is no you dont, its purely up to you. The facilities are pretty good at handling labels these days. And the same goes for caps. Just leave the caps on and they wont get lost in the system so you dont need to worry about taking them off.

Weve also got special plastic bottle recycling bins for offices, gyms, schools and churches. These programs really help to get a lot of recyclables into the system that might otherwise end up in landfill. Theyre also pretty easy to set up. If your workplace or community group is interested in setting one up, give us a shout and we can help with the logistics. Such as what size bins you need and when they will be collected.

And then there’s a bigger picture to consider. When we recycle PET its not just that we dont have to make new plastic bottles from scratch. It also gets turned into all sorts of other things like polyester for clothes, carpets, and packaging. That means less new plastic is needed and that has to be good for the environment. Less waste, less energy consumed and less plastic ends up in the wrong places.

We at Eco Way Recycle are happy to be part of Davenport’s efforts to manage its waste. Its the little things that count and water bottle recycling is just one part of the picture. We can help you with a single shopping bag full of plastic bottles or multiple pallets. No problem.