New legislation set to boost Recovinyl volumes

Members of Recovinyl, the European-wide PVC industry's recycling initiative, look set to benefit from increased volumes as a result of new legislation governing the disposal of non-hazardous waste.

New legislation coming into force on October 30th as part of the Landfill Directive requires producers of non-hazardous waste, such as waste PVC-U, to pre-treat the waste before it is landfilled.

Waste can be pre-treated by any of four different processes; physical, thermal, chemical or biological to:.

- Reduce its volume.

- Reduce its hazardous nature.

- Facilitate its handling.

- Enhance recovery.

In its guidance to producers, the Environment Agency suggests that recycling will be one of the easiest ways to comply with the Directive, advising collection and separation of individual waste streams to enable recovery.

Waste management companies can carry out treatment on behalf of producers before waste is sent to landfill.

Commenting on the new Directive Roger Morton, of Axion Recycling, Recovinyl's UK agents, says it will act as a driver to encourage recycling of a range of waste streams, including waste plastic building products that can be readily and easily recycled.

'A simple and easy way for people to comply with the legislation will be to sort out PVC profiles, flooring, roofing and cables and ensure they are recycled through the Recovinyl scheme that exists to promote greater recycling of this material.

'This not only benefits Recovinyl members who can receive incentive payments for recycling their waste PVC-U, but also companies who save on disposal costs; and not least the environment by re-using valuable resources'.

The Environment Agency also advises producers that it will be 'good practice' to supply documentation that can be incorporated in the waste transfer notes to state the treatment used and the amount of waste sorted for recycling.

Currently, landfill operators are responsible for ensuring that only treated waste goes to landfill, but the government is considering altering the duty of care regime to include waste producers and holders.

Roger adds: 'Full audit trails are provided for all processed waste PVC to prove it has been recycled and not landfilled.

Firms that recycle their waste plastic can also use the opportunity to position their businesses as 'ecologically aware' and appeal to the growing numbers of consumers who want to buy from companies who can demonstrate a responsible approach to the environment.' Recovinyl set a UK recycling target of 30,000 tonnes for 2007, of which more than 15,000 tonnes had been recorded by the end of June - much of it from old first-generation windows and doors.

A national network of 133 Recovinyl-accredited waste collectors and 30 recyclers have invested in facilities to support recycling and make it happen Roger concludes: 'As well as diverting material from landfill, recycling preserves natural resources with associated savings in energy and provides a significant reduction in carbon emissions compared to using virgin polymer.' 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.

Back to top