Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste flakes (blow-molded-grade industrial waste) were degraded with aqueous methylamine and ammonia at room temperature in the presence and absence of quaternary ammonium salt as a catalyst for various times. The catalyst reduced the time required for the degradation of the PET waste. The degraded products were analyzed with IR, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and differential thermal analysis and were characterized as N,N'-dimethylterephthalamide and terephthalamide in the case of methylamine and ammonia, respectively. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.