On the occasion of the 21st Waste Plastics Day in Bad Neuenahr, the German Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal (Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e.V. - bvse) and the Working Group PVC and the Environment (Arbeitsgemeinschaft PVC und Umwelt e.V. - AGPU) drew a positive interim balance for the recycling of PVC as a building material. PVC has numerous long-lasting applications in the building sector. In particular, proven products such as windows, pipes, floor coverings, roofing and sealing membranes or cable sheathing should be mentioned here. "By establishing and expanding recycling routes that are now very well established, the sustainability of these building products can now be well demonstrated," bvse plastics expert Dr Thomas Probst makes clear.
PVC recycling on the rise
The recently published VinylPlus Progress Report®the sustainability programme of the European PVC industry, has shown that PVC recycling continues to be on the rise. In 2017, a total of 639,648 tonnes of recycled PVC was registered and the amount increased compared to previous years (560,492 tonnes in 2016). This means that almost 80 percent of the annual target of 800,000 tonnes for 2020 has now been achieved. The recycling activities in Germany have played a significant role in this. At the beginning of the 1990s, recycling plants began to be built and collection systems established or further optimised. "In the meantime, there are about 70 companies in Germany that earn money with the recycling of PVC," says AGPU Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann.
Various recycling initiatives
Almost 73 per cent of the PVC produced annually is used in the construction sector and, as in production, PVC construction products are therefore also the most significant in terms of volume in waste management. In Germany, various recycling initiatives, such as the AgPR Arbeitsgemeinschaft PVC-Bodenbelag Recycling (PVC flooring recycling working group) and RoofCollect (roofing membranes), take care of recycling. For windows, Rewindo GmbH has set up a nationwide take-back system with its recycling partners. In 2017, a total of around 100,000 tonnes of PVC regranulate was recovered from old windows and production sections. Since the beginning of 2005, Rohr-Recycling GmbH & Co. KG in Westeregeln and the Kunststoffrohrverband e.V. (KRV) have formed an alliance to increase recycling volumes. This initiative takes back PVC pipes nationwide and ensures that the old products are recycled.
From old to new
Mechanical recycling is still predominantly the method of choice in this process. In this process, a raw material is obtained from the discarded products that can be reused in new applications. For example, the regranulate obtained from window recycling can be found in new window profiles, coated with new PVC material, as a recyclate core. The use of recycled PVC profiles is now standard. This principle can also be applied to PVC flooring and pipes, where the regranulate can be used on the underside or in the middle layer. Finally, established, durable products are also made from old PVC cable sheathing - partly as a mixed fraction. Here, the range extends from beacon bases, to manholes and boards, to resistant industrial flooring. Manufacturers of such products can also be found in the AGPU's PVC Recycling Finder.
Used Plastics Day in Bad Neuenahr
From 12 to 13 June, the bvse Plastics Recycling Association invites you to the International Industry Meeting in Bad Neuenahr for the 21st time this year. At the two-day European industry conference, current topics in plastics recycling will be on the lecture and discussion programme. The exhibitor forum offers an ideal networking and information platform on both days of the conference.