A compressing device for plastic bottles optimized for recycling machines providing carefully shaped first and second plates with one being generally convex while the other being concave so as to mate more completely and provide a flattened bottle, ready for recycling. Also, a tail serves to align the bottom of the bottle so that the bar code remains visible when the bottle is run through an automated recycling machine. There are two embodiments one has as component a stand and a tongue while another embodiment is without a stand and has a hingedly movable tail. Also, the tongue and the tail are configured and shaped so as to accept a variety of bottle bottom configurations and are also used for precisely aligning the bottom of the bottle for improving the way the bottle is compressed.