Product category:
Building Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
News Release from: Axion Recycling | Subject: First UK roof membrane recycling scheme
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 August 2007
First UK roof membrane recycling scheme
planned
Advanced Roofing is aiming to set up the UK's first dedicated PVC single ply roofing membrane recycling scheme having successfully trialled it with the help of a Recovinyl recycler.
Gordon Harris of Advanced Roofing, Ilkeston took samples of PVC roofing membranes, such as roll ends, offcuts and unusable sections, for trial re-processing at Melba Products , based in Bury The firm uses 800 tonnes a year of recycled PVC (mainly cabling and flooring) to make traffic management equipment, such as road cones, signs and barriers
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 14 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Gordon estimates that between one and 1.5 per cent of PVC roofing materials up to a square metre in size end up in landfill.
An effective recycling scheme could divert much of this material from landfill to be re-used.
Gordon, a former chairman of the Single Ply Roofing Association (SPRA), has a keen interest in environmental responsibility.
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He is seeking a logistics partner to help launch a nationwide scheme, although he recognises that collection of the material could be a major obstacle.
'My view is that people who use the stuff will make this scheme work,' says Gordon, who envisages 'cells' of participating contractors in close proximity to each other saving waste membrane offcuts and roll ends.
When enough volume is available, it could be collected in a 'milk round' arrangement and taken for recycling.
He adds: 'Advanced Roofing currently recycles all its PVC waste and as a company is keen to minimise its environmental impact.
We know there are recyclers who will take all the membrane waste we can give them.
If enough roofing companies take part, then I'm sure we could organise a workable collection system.' David Clegg, Purchasing Director at Melba Products, is supportive, saying: 'We successfully processed some samples for Gordon and we think his idea has a lot of potential.' Agreeing that collection of material for recycling, and in sufficient volumes, would be a challenge, David adds: 'We use 800 tonnes of recyclate a month from cable, flooring and auto interiors, much of it from Europe.
Getting the volume is essential to make it practical and commercially viable.' Although recycling of vinyl roof membranes is well-established in Europe, no such scheme currently exists in the UK and Gordon wants to see this happen.
Members of the European Single-ply Waterproofing Association joined forces in 1994 to collectively organise recycling with a commitment to recycle at least 50 per cent of the collectable available quantity of used vinyl roofing membrane waste by 2005.
Because vinyl roofing membranes have a long service life, many are not yet available for post-consumer recycling.
But volumes are expected to grow in coming years as old roofs are renewed.
SPRA Secretary Jim Hooker welcomes Gordon's efforts, commenting: 'As an association we are trying to drive this too.
Gordon took the initiative to talk to one of his processors and with his help, we hope to persuade the several hundred roofing contractors in the UK, not just our members, to recycle more in the volumes needed to make it pay'.
Jim suggests one way of overcoming the collection issue might be to encourage manufacturers to pick up roofing waste when delivering new stock and drop it off at central storage depots prior to collection for recycling.
He adds: 'Roofing membrane recycling is still very much in its infancy here, but volumes of this recyclable material, particularly post- consumer waste, are predicted to grow.
So recycling it has to be the right and environmentally-friendly way forward'.
In September, the SPRA is due to start research into the amount and condition of post-consumer roofing membrane entering the UK waste stream with a view to assessing alternatives to its current landfill disposal route.
Recovinyl is the PVC industry's recycling initiative and is currently recruiting more recyclers of roofing membranes.
Roger Morton, of Axion Recycling, Recovinyl's UK agents, comments: 'The normal Recovinyl incentives apply to roofing membrane recyclers and we are encouraging more to join the scheme.
'Gordon's efforts in pioneering such a scheme are a further example of the UK construction industry's commitment to improve sustainability across the whole sector and we wish him every success'.
Recovinyl is funded by the PVC industry body Vinyl 2010 formed to demonstrate commitment to sustainable development.
It is backed by the British Plastics Federation and supported by the Waste and Resources Action Programme .
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