Dive summary:

• The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) and the Beverage Marketing Corp. (BMC) reported that about 39% of all plastic water bottles are being recycled.
• The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has also reported in a press release that the amount of plastic used in a single water bottle has dropped by 47.8% over the past 11 years.
• According to a NAPCOR study done last month, the national recycling rate for plastic bottles increased by close to 20% between 2010 and 2011.

From the article:

“The bottled water industry utilizes a variety of measures to reduce our environmental footprint,” says Chris Hogan, IBWA’s vice president of communications. “All bottled water containers are 100 percent recyclable. And, when you do the math, it turns out that of all the plastics produced in the United States, PET plastic bottled water packaging makes up only 0.92 percent; less than one percent. Moreover, plastic bottled water containers make up only one-third of one percent of the U.S. waste stream, according to the EPA." ...