Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) taken from postconsumer soft‐drink bottles was subjected to alkaline hydrolysis after cutting it into small pieces (flakes). The reaction took place in an autoclave at 120–200°C with aqueous NaOH solutions and at 110–120°C with a nonaqueous solution of KOH in methyl Cellosolve. The disodium or dipotassium terephthalate received was treated with sulfuric acid and terephthalic acid (TPA) of high purity was separated. The ¹H NMR spectrum of the TPA revealed an about 2% admixture of isophthalic acid together with the pure 98% TPA. The purity of the TPA obtained was tested by determining its acidity and by polymerizing it with ethylene glycol by using tetrabutyl titanate as catalyst. A simple theoretical model was developed to describe the hydrolysis rate. The activation energy calculated was 99 kJ/mol. This method is very useful in recycling of PET bottles and other containers because nowadays TPA is replacing dimethyl terephthalate (the traditional monomer) as the main monomer in the industrial production of PET. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 250–259, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10029