Itabashi Ward Signs Agreement with Suntory Group for Horizontal Recycling of PET Bottles!

Summary

On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Itabashi Ward signed a 'bottle-to-bottle' horizontal recycling partnership agreement with the Suntory Group.

Based on this agreement, both parties will collaborate to promote the horizontal recycling of PET bottles and aim to realize a sustainable circular society. 'Bottle-to-bottle' horizontal recycling is an initiative that greatly contributes to realizing circular recycling. By circulating used PET bottles as new PET bottles, resources can be used repeatedly. Additionally, compared to manufacturing from new fossil-derived materials, it leads to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

From July 2026, the Ward will begin transforming half of the PET bottles discharged from households into containers for Suntory's beverage PET bottles.

Overview of 'Bottle-to-Bottle' Horizontal Recycling Used PET bottles are recycled and reborn as new PET bottles.

(1) PET Bottle Discharge (Residents) Residents discharge bottles as resources at collection points.

(2) Collection and Transportation (Contractors commissioned by the Ward) Commissioned contractors transport the PET bottles discharged at collection points to intermediate treatment facilities.

(3) Intermediate Treatment (Contractors commissioned by the Ward) Commissioned contractors manually sort the PET bottles, then compress and pack them (baling) for storage.

(4) Remanufacturing (Recyclers and Suntory Group) Approximately half of the used PET bottles are sold to Suntory-designated recyclers to be recycled and used as new PET bottles.

* (1) to (3) remain the same as before.

[Responsible Department] Department: Resource Circulation Promotion Section, Resources and Environment Department, Itabashi Ward Phone: 03-3579-2218