Year	Recycling	Utilization
1995	39.7%	31.9%
1996	31.7%	26.0%
1997	27.1%	22.7%
1998	24.8%	19.6%
1999	23.7%	18.8%
2000	22.3%	18.0%
2001	22.1%	17.5%
2002	19.9%	15.3%
2003	19.6%	15.5%
2004	21.6%	17.3%
2005	23.1%	18.9%
2006	23.5%	19.4%
2007	24.6%	19.0%
2008	27.0%	20.9%
2009	28.0%	20.9%
2010	29.1%	20.8%
2011	29.3%	19.2%

Source: NAPCOR. 2011 Report on Post Consumer PET Container Recycling ActivityThe figure typically reported as a “recycling rate” is usually the proportion of materials collected for recycling. Bales of PET collected for recycling often contain materials such as polypropylene caps, base cups, labels and glue, and other contaminants, which are then weighed and included in the PET recycling rate.The “Utilization Rate” shown on this page is a more accurate depiction of how much PET actually gets recycled. It measures the amount of “clean PET flake” yielded once the contaminants have been removed.