Dive summary:

• A study conducted by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) showed that recycling of plastic bottles has increased by 45 million pounds, 1.7%, in 2011.
• Despite growth, the plastic recycling industry, which now handles over 2.6 billion pounds of plastic a year, is still not collecting enough to meet demand.
• The report verified that the greatest single factor to increasing household recycling is adopting a single-stream collection system.

From the article:

Plastic bottle recycling by consumers increased 45 million pounds in 2011, edging up 1.7 percent, to reach over 2.6 billion pounds for the year, according to figures released jointly by the Assn. of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The recycling rate for plastic bottles held steady, inching up one-tenth of 1 percent to reach 28.9 percent for the year. ...