Eurocell calls on industry to review PVC-U recycling

Eurocell is attending this year’s Resource & Waste Management Expo (RWM) and is calling on organisations across the construction supply chain, from councils to waste management businesses, to review their PVC-U recycling to minimise waste being sent to landfill.

Eurocell will be demonstrating its closed-loop recycling system at the Expo and showcasing the progress it has made in using recycled materials in the design and manufacture of its PVC-U building products.

This is with the overall aim to help organisations review and improve their PVC-U recycling processes,  which will be key to helping the UK government achieve its aims to reduce all direct emissions from public sector buildings by 50% and 75% by 2032 and 2037 respectively. All UK emissions need to reach net zero by 2050.

According to Eurocell, it already operates the largest PVC-U recycling operation in the UK and it achieved 32% recycled PVC-U in extrusion in 2023, up from 27% in 2021. This set a new bar for recycled materials in the design and manufacture of its PVC-U windows and doors.

Speaking ahead of the show, which takes place in Birmingham at the NEC from September 11-12, Sandra Gaspar, head of recycling at Eurocell, explains why a collaborative approach right across the construction supply chain, is the only way the industry can continue to make progress on recycling PVC-U. She said: “As confidence returns to the construction and home improvement market, it means we should see an increase in activity and therefore a rise in old PVC-U building products being removed from properties and in need of recycling. Now is the right time for organisations to review their recycling processes for PVC-U.

“This isn’t just a cause for one area of the market, but for organisations throughout to work together. We need to ensure as much waste PVC-U can be saved from landfill, to help reduce CO₂ emissions and the impact of our industry on the environment. This includes from councils, construction companies and waste management through to demolitions businesses, commercial contractors and even skip hire companies.”

Eurocell facilitates PVC-U recycling for window and door installers and fabricators as well as other building and construction businesses all over the UK.

It offers collections from any premises or UK site and ensures that PVC-U waste is managed responsibly. The service includes all aspects of waste management, from collection and transport to documentation, with waste transfer notes provided to demonstrate responsible handling.

Sandra added: “PVC-U can be repurposed up to 10 times without compromising its quality. It’s an impressively durable and long-lasting material, and as an industry we need to recycle as much as we can. Eurocell is well placed to support the industry in its efforts.”

Eurocell has set an ambitious target to increase the proportion of recycled PVC-U in its products to 40% by 2030. The company’s recycling initiatives also extend beyond its own operations and it is actively working with third-party sites to optimise material recovery and reduce waste, aiming to increase the percentage of waste recycled to 88% by 2025 and to 93% by 2030.

Eurocell’s dedication to sustainability is demonstrated through its manufacturing processes, where its profiles division blends raw PVC resin with recycled materials sourced from the company’s recycling plants located in Selby, North Yorkshire, and Ilkeston, Derbyshire.