The modernisation of the "Wohlers Eichen" housing estate in Bremen shows how disused plastic windows can be recycled in an environmentally friendly way during energy-related renovations. The housing company Vonovia SE is currently having the buildings near the free ports of the Hanseatic city with 256 flats renovated in four construction phases. Among other things, the façades are being given additional thermal insulation and new, energy-saving plastic windows. The approximately 800 old windows from the early 1990s will be collected directly at the construction site and subsequently recycled. The PVC granulate recovered in the process is the raw material for new plastic windows with recycled cores.
In Bremen, it is the first window recycling project of this type and scale. "This method, which is completely in line with the functioning circular economy in terms of sustainability and resource efficiency, is now considered 'best practice' in the disposal of PVC building products," says Rewindo Michael Vetter. This recycling project is being realised by Dekura with the support of Rewindo and AGPU.