First in Japan!*1 Registered Design for Volume-reduced PET Plastic Bottles as Recyclable Material

First in Japan!*1 Registered Design for Volume-reduced PET Plastic Bottles as Recyclable Material
~ Considering the growing plastic waste problem, Teraoka Seiko is helping to create a society where PET plastic bottles are properly circulated as a resource
~ Volume-reduced PET Plastic Bottles Are a Valuable Terrestrial Resource, Not Waste
 
*1 In-house research
*2 "Bottle Squash” is a trademark or registered trademark in Japan of Teraoka Seiko Co., Ltd.

 
  Teraoka Seiko Co. Ltd. (Head Office: Ohta-ku, Tokyo, Japan / President Kosuke Yamamoto) has successfully registered the design of the volume-reduced PET plastic bottles produced by the “Bottle Squash”*2 series reverse vending machine with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) (Registration Date: January 11, 2019). This is the first*1 design registration in Japan for recyclable material derived from PET plastic bottles.

  To date, there have been no other examples of where the JPO has permitted the registration of compressed/volume-reduced used PET plastic bottles produced by such equipment as valuable recyclable material, rather than just waste.

  The Bottle Squash series uses our company’s original pre-cutting compression method, which is designed to prevent the bottle from re-expanding after being compressed. In addition, the process does not rupture the bottle spout, so there is no risk the spout will fall off during transport, allowing the complete bottle to be collected as one piece. These two features turn the processed bottles into high-quality recyclable material.

Volume-reduced PET plastic bottle using the pre-cutting method Bottle Squash series PET plastic bottle reverse vending machine

 An issue with conventional volume reduction processes is that air reenters the bottles after crushing, causing them to expand. We focused on this issue from the start of product development and devised a pre-cutting compression method that prevents bottles from re-expanding, by introducing cuts into the bottles. The reduced volume achieved by this technology increases logistics efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions from transport of the material.

 PET plastic bottle recycling material is sold to recyclers by the kilogram. If the spout, which is the thickest part of the PET plastic bottle, falls off when the bottle is compressed, the value of the recycling material is reduced by that amount, so this method makes sure the spout remains attached. Additionally, handling the material after it has been collected is easier during the baling and crushing stages of the recycling process because the spout stays with the bottle.

 In this way, PET plastic bottles can be collected as high quality recyclable material to help achieve proper resource circulation (for a circular economy).

 Currently, about 300 units of the Bottle Squash PET plastic bottle reverse vending machine have been deployed across Japan in supermarkets and convenience stores, and by local governments, and have become collection bases for PET plastic bottle recycling.

 Considering the growing plastic waste problem, Teraoka Seiko believes that PET plastic bottles need to be considered a valuable recycling resource, rather than just waste. And to this end, our company is helping to create a society that realizes the proper circulation of this resource through our original technology.
 

Registered Design Information

  • Registration No. : D1623835
  • Article to the Design: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recyclable material
  • Filing Date: November 28, 2016
  • Registration Date: January 11, 2019
  • Owner of Design Rights: Teraoka Seiko Co., Ltd., 13-12 Kugahara 5-chome Ohta-ku, Tokyo, Japan
 


Reference

Circular Economy



 

Bottle Squash logo

A fun and friendly character
created with the desire to promote
recycling activities even for
children, to whom we entrust the future

The concept video is here

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