STALLION In short: Much of India's recycled PET is washed, shredded into flakes and spun into polyester fibre for filling, fabric and yarn. A smaller but growing share becomes food-grade resin for new bottles, since FSSAI issued rPET guidelines in May 2025.
The last national study is from 2016
The National Chemical Laboratory did the study, which the PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment commissioned in 2016. Recycling International reported it in October 2017. About 900,000 tonnes of PET are produced in India each year, and 65% of that is recycled at registered facilities. At least 15% is recycled in the unorganised sector, and around 10% is reused at home.
Add those three together and you get the 90% figure that headlines quoted at the time. It is a decade old, and we did not find a newer national number.
From bottle to fibre
The bottles are sorted, washed and shredded into flakes. A large share of those flakes is spun into polyester fibre. Ganesha Ecosphere, one of India's recyclers, lists its recycled polyester staple fibre as going into yarns, nonwovens, flame-retardant fabrics and fibre fillings, and a 2017 report on the National Chemical Laboratory study described recycled PET being turned into apparel, bedding and more.
An informal collection network gathers most of India's PET waste. Ganesha Ecopet says it sources bottles through more than 300 suppliers and aggregators across the country, and the kabadiwalas and waste collectors who sort bottles by hand sit at the start of that chain.
Back into bottles
Putting recycled PET into a new food or drink bottle is stricter. FSSAI published its guidelines for recycled PET in food contact material on 23 May 2025. Only processes with a decontamination step are accepted: super-clean, melt-in, paste-in and chemical recycling. Ordinary recycling without decontamination is not permitted for food contact.
Producers have to apply to FSSAI for authorisation, test their output in accredited labs, and take annual audits. Ganesha Ecopet, one Indian recycler making bottle-grade resin, reported in September 2024 that it had grown its bottle-to-bottle capacity to 42,000 tonnes a year with two new Starlinger lines.
Why clean, sorted bottles matter
Fibre makers can take a mixed stream. Food-grade recyclers cannot. So the bottles most useful to a food-grade recycler are dry, mostly clear and free of other plastics.
The new recycled-content targets for brands push the same way. We cover them in the guide to India's 2026 plastic rules.
Common questions
Is PET recycled in India?
Yes. A 2016 National Chemical Laboratory study found 65% was recycled at registered facilities, at least 15% in the unorganised sector and about 10% reused at home. We did not find a newer national figure.
What is recycled PET used for?
A large share becomes polyester fibre for yarns, fibre fillings, fabrics and nonwovens. A growing share is processed into food-grade resin for new bottles.
Can recycled PET be used in new water bottles in India?
Yes, with FSSAI-approved processes. FSSAI's guidelines of 23 May 2025 accept only recycling processes that include decontamination, and producers need authorisation.
What is a PET flake?
A small washed piece of shredded bottle. Flakes are the product that recyclers sell on to fibre makers or process further into resin.
Sources
- Recycling International: India's PET bottle recycling market (4 Oct 2017)
- Plastics Europe: India recycles 90% of its PET waste (20 Mar 2017)
- Modern Plastics India: PET bottle-to-bottle recycling, Ganesha Ecopet
- Corporate Professionals: FSSAI guidelines for rPET in food contact materials (30 May 2025)
- RECYCLING magazine: Ganesha Ecopet bottle-to-bottle capacity (Sep 2024)
Next steps
Got bottles? Get paid.
Doorstep PET bottle pickup across Dehradun.