The St Helens-based company invested in a new plant following a 14-month trial looking at the recycling of polyvinyl butyrate, the key ingredient in safety glass used for windows, doors and windscreens.
The trial was carried out by the Manchester consultancy National Centre for Business and Sustainability (NCBS) and funded by Landfill Tax Credits distributed by the Viridor Credits Environmental Company.
The NCBS project looked at mechanical and chemical recovery processes as well as ultrasound in order to re-use the plastic or blend it with other plastics to produce new products.
The project manager of the NCBS trial, Clair Visco, said: “This project is an excellent illustration of how scientific research and technical applications can turn an environmental problem into a business opportunity.”
Viridor Glass Recycling, formerly Viridor Richardson, was disposing of 4,000 tonnes of PVB. Commenting on the project, a spokesperson said: “The results suggest that PVB recovery is both practical and achievable. PVB blends well with polypropylene and PVC which opens up a variety of potential reuse options.”
Viridor Glass said it had now invested in additional equipment to improve the quality of recovered PVB and claimed a number of companies have already expressed interest in taking the material.
The spokesperson said: “We hope to build on that demand and to divert all the PVB material from landfill in the near future.”
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