Recovinyl reports 18 percent recycling rate for PVC in UK

The United Kingdom and Ireland collected and recycled nearly 145,000 metric tons of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic scrap in 2019, according to Recovinyl, an organization dedicated to encouraging vinyl recycling in Europe.

Recovinyl and U.K.-based Axion, which acts as the organization’s representative in the U.K., say PVC window profiles accounted for more than 85,000 metric tons of the vinyl scrap collected and processed in 2019.

With a PVC recycling rate of 18.6 percent, the U.K. was second only to Germany, says Recovinyl. In Europe overall, more than 770,000 metric tons of PVC scrap was recycled in 2019. Recovinyl call that “a new record,” adding the figure was 4.3 higher than the 2018 total.

The group indicates it was involved in nearly all PVC recycling activities in Europe, and that 13 new recyclers joined the Recovinyl network in 2019.

Window profiles and related building products accounted for 47 percent of the PVC recycled in Europe, says the group. Demand for recycled rigid PVC remained very high, according to Axion.

At the same time, more PVC scrap is becoming available in the form of wire and cable coverings, particularly in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland and the U.K., says Recovinyl, attributing that to the decline of baled wire and cable scrap exports to China.

On the regulatory front, “Industry concern continues over changes to the Basel Convention, an international treaty governing shipments of hazardous waste, that has deemed PVC to be a ‘notifiable’ waste,” states Recovinyl. “This would create more paperwork and cost for U.K.-based suppliers, making the import and export of [scrap] PVC between the U.K. to the EU more difficult,” adds the group.

“Changes to the Convention, which will come into effect from 1 January 2021, will see nonhazardous plastic waste that is not recyclable or is ‘difficult’ to recycle categorized as waste requiring ‘special consideration’ and listed in the Convention’s Annex II,” continues Recovinyl. “Some single polymer plastic [scrap], such as PET [polyethylene terephthalate] and PP [polypropylene], are exempt, whereas PVC is not.”

Richard McKinlay, head of consulting at Axion, says the Basel Convention designation is not justified for PVC as it is a highly recyclable material, as demonstrated by the success of the Recovinyl system in Europe, and projects such as RecoMed, a medical PVC recycling system.

“Under the Convention rules, PET is ‘green-listed’, even though in reality PVC is much more widely recycled than PET, and the recyclate used widely in durable and long-life products, for example in the building and construction sectors,” says McKinlay.

While the UK has what McKinlay calls a well-established PVC recycling infrastructure, especially for window profiles, he says cable scrap is traded between European nations for use in traffic management products, and that this supply chain is needed to maintain production.

“Recovinyl continues to grow and satisfy the huge demand for recycled PVC in the U.K. and across Europe,” says McKinlay. “Recycling is the best environmental solution for PVC, as it can be readily recycled. It’s right that we continue to use this valuable raw material resource in new products and set an example for the treatment of other [scrap] construction materials.”

Simon Scholes, managing director of Wellingborough, U.K.-based VEKA Recycling Ltd. says while the legislation will mean more paperwork, it also forces the industry to be “more professional,” and to offer a reliable and sustainable service to companies handling PVC scrap.

“The industry, in general, has stepped up and made PVC recycling happen,” says Scholes. “What we’re doing is still right, and significant investment has gone into recycling this material to a quality ready to be re-used in new long-life products. This is something to be encouraged, not discouraged.”

Adds Scholes, “As an industry, of course we will overcome these future hurdles. We’ve invested too much time, money and passion not to make it succeed.”

Cumulatively, 5.7 million metric tons of PVC have been recycled within the Vinyl 2010 and VinylPlus frameworks in Europe since 2000, according to Recovinyl.

The redeployment of the vinyl has helped prevent the release of some 11.4 million tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere, says Axion.