uPVC Window Recycling Program from Vinyl Council Australia

uPVC window recycling program diverts waste from landfill

Tasmanian company and Vinyl Council member Envorinex is expanding a recycling program, leading to 125 bulker bags of waste from various Melbourne-based uPVC* window fabricators being recycled into new products.

Since 2011, Envorinex has been working with the Oakleigh Centre for Intellectually Disabled Citizens in Melbourne who were supplied a granulator by the company to manage recycling of the uPVC waste collected. The Oakleigh Centre inspect the material to the Quality Assurance standard required, granulate and pack it into new bulker bags which are then shipped to Envorinex in George Town, Tasmania to be manufactured into 100% recycled commercial products.

"Envorinex recognises the importance of environmental sustainability. That our Melbourne recycling program has seen over 200 tonnes of uPVC waste diverted from landfill so far and made into commercially viable recycled products is not only exciting, but fitting with our sustainability responsibility and our recycling mandate," said Ms Jenny Brown, Managing Director, Poly Marketing Pty Ltd trading as Envorinex™.

Envorinex has been collecting waste uPVC from window fabricators in Tasmania for the past three years. Due to the overwhelming demand for its recycled product range, Envorinex sourced additional waste uPVC material from Melbourne as feedstock for converting into new products.

Ms Sophi MacMillan, Chief Executive of Vinyl Council of Australia explained: "uPVC windows are the most commonly used window type in regions such as Europe and the US, and today, we are seeing growing demand in Australia for these high performance windows to improve home energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

"As the use of uPVC windows frames increases, we will see growth in fabricator waste volumes available for recycling programs such as this one. The uPVC material is very recyclable, as evidenced by the tens of thousands of tonnes of fabrication and post-consumer uPVC windows that are recycled every year in Europe."

"Envorinex is a great example of a company putting its PVC Product Stewardship Program commitments into practice," concluded Ms MacMillan.

Many of the imported profiles used to make uPVC windows in Australia already contain recycled post-consumer window material, demonstrating the feasibility of cyclic management of the product's materials.

Currently, Envorinex are in discussions with a disability centre in Sydney to replicate the Melbourne recycling business and meet ongoing demand for PVC recyclate.

* uPVC: unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride.