Beverage Companies Invest to Get Bottles Recycled, Not Trashed

Crushed plastic bottles sit in a bale following sorting at the Mid-America Recycling plant, in Lincoln, Neb., on Nov. 15, 2016. Francis Gardler/The Journal-Star via AP, File

Every year, an estimated 100 billion plastic bottles are produced in the United States, the bulk of which come from three of America’s biggest beverage companies: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Keurig Dr Pepper.

The problem? Only one-third of those bottles get recycled; the rest end up in the trash.