Mechanical Recycling of Waste from PET Bottles and Glass Polyester Composites

Composites are used in many areas of the economy, especially in transport and green energy production. As a consequence, a large amount of composite waste is generated, which is difficult to recycle. In this study, an attempt was made to use the simplest and cheapest mechanical method to process post-consumer and post-production waste of coloured polyester and glass polyester composite, respectively. Composites were prepared by injection moulding, adding ground unsaturated polyester with glass fibre to shredded poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET). The effect of adding the glass polyester recyclate on selected mechanical (tensile and impact strength), thermal (using differential scanning calorimetry), surface (contact angle), and structural properties (using the Fourier infrared spectroscopy and optical microscopy) was determined. The research has demonstrated that it is possible to obtain in a simple way high quality, aesthetically pleasing and weather resistant landscaping products, such as fences and road posts, litter bins, benches, etc., from post-consumer coloured PET bottles and post-production waste glass polyester composites. Nevertheless, in order to obtain composites with better mechanical properties, the recyclates used need to undergo additional processing, e.g. by adding compatibilisers.