Sadly, plastic recycling rates in the U.S. are shockingly low: 29.1% for PET bottles and 29.3% for HDPE bottles in 2018, according to the EPA. So, many of us often choose the latter option.

The recycled HDPE market had a surplus of materials in 2023, causing prices to decrease in the second half of 2023. In 2024, pellet prices began to slowly increase throughout the year.