Miller Brewing Co is test marketing the first plastic beer bottle in the US. Although the bottle is made primarily of PET or PETE, its colour & design pose problems for plastic recycling systems. The way Miller addresses these problems will either create an opportunity for growth of plastics recycling, or do damage to the environment & the struggling PET recycling industry. The plastic bottle's amber tint, new barrier material, & metal cap & label make it incompatible with the existing recycled PET recycling systems. Those elements will increase costs for PET recycling & may contaminate the PET stream so as to make it impossible for recyclers who handle the bottle to sell their reclaimed plastic to high value markets. Furthermore, the initial production of bottles lacks any recycled content & replaces the more recyclable glass & aluminium containers.
