Industry-run recycling campaign Recovinyl wants retailers to help increase the markets available for recovered PVC plastics, with latest figures showing that plastic recycling collections doubled for a second year in Europe in 2006.
” Given the growing awareness of ‘green’ issues, products with recycled content are attracting increasing interest and our initial research indicates that retailers are looking to stock these items.“
– Roger Morton, Axion Recycling
Roger Morton of Axion Recycling, which is part of Recovinyl in the UK, said the campaign wants to hear from retailers, distributors and wholesalers, who could stock recycled products.
He explained: “With the rapid growth in volumes being recycled, recyclers are always looking for new outlets for PVC recyclate, particularly in the retail and building sectors. Manufacturers have the added benefits of cost-savings in using recycled PVC, compared to using more expensive virgin material, as well as promoting the eco-credentials of their products.
“Given the growing awareness of green issues, products with recycled content are attracting increasing interest and our initial research indicates that retailers are looking to stock these items,” said Mr Morton.
Recovinyl also wants to hear from suppliers of materials made from recycled PVC or those with ideas for new items. This could include ducting, flooring, pipe or even concrete replacement goods like paving stones or garden edging blocks.
Recovinyl is funded by Vinyl 2010, and is made up of different firms and groups across the PVC industry.
A progress report published last week by Vinyl2010 said that last year 82,812 tonnes of PVC were recycled in Europe, an increase on the 38,793 tonnes of 2005 and the 18,077 tonnes of 2004.
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The report does not contain a breakdown for how much was recycled in the UK, but does say that Recovinyl's projects in this country resulted in almost 17,000 tonnes of PVC collected in 2006, compared with 8,000 in 2005.
Vinyl 2010 noted in its report that last year saw the phasing out by Europe of lead-based stabilisers in plastic drainpipes, a move that will make them more easily recycled.
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