Consumers in America use billions of single use plastic bottles every year. Even with the proper recycling methods, this trend causes millions of pounds of plastic to end up in our landfills or shipped to China to produce polyester materials. Reusable plastic water bottles are far better than single use ones, but if they are made from newly sourced plastic, they do still contribute to the problem. In an effort to be more environmentally responsible, one of Bulletin Bottle’s factories is working to find a more eco-friendly method of production.

This is achieved by ‘upcycling’, removing the need to source more plastic materials from the ground. ‘Upcycling’ diverts materials from the waste stream by sourcing plastic from recycling programs across the country. This method creates water bottles made from recycled materials, creating a second life for these plastics. Additionally, upcycling takes these single use bottles and turns them into reusable and recycled water bottles. This will decrease both the consumption of single use bottles, as well as increase the utilization of reusable water bottles. Water bottles made from recycled content create a closed loop recycling system that decreases the economic impact of single use plastics and water bottle manufacturers.

The process of upcycling can be simplified into a three-step process. First, the single use PET drink bottles and HDPE milk jugs are reclaimed from municipal recycling centers. They are then sent to a facility, like CarbonLite in Riverside, California, where these containers are sorted, shredded and sanitized to be FDA compliant rPET and rHDPE materials. Because of this step, the recycled water bottles can be manufactured from 100% post-consumer recycled material.

Water bottles made from recycled materials come in a variety of forms, like our Small Recycled Bike Bottle, Bike Bottle with Flip Up Lids, Colored Squeeze Water Bottle, and Recycled Water Bottle with Leash. In an effort to contribute to a cleaner future, Bulletin Bottle aims to introduce even more variety and options for water bottles made from recycled material. Together, we can help reduce the need for single use plastics that pollute the world’s natural beauty.