Yokohama holds PET bottle recycling program for students

An educational program for elementary school students was held at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse to teach the process of ‘horizontal recycling’ for PET bottles. The initiative, which has been active in the Minato Mirai 21 district since January 2025, focuses on turning used bottles back into new PET bottles to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and resource consumption.

Participants learned a four-step sorting method: removing the label, removing the cap, rinsing the bottle, and crushing it flat. The program also demonstrated the manufacturing process using ‘preforms’—test-tube-shaped prototypes that are heated and blown into the shape of a bottle using high-pressure air.

According to Risa Kimura of the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, the facility has collected over 10,000kg of PET bottles for horizontal recycling between January 2025 and June 2026. The event saw more than 70 participants, including students and parents, engaging in hands-on recycling activities.