The collection and recycling of PVC waste in the UK increased by 12% in 2016 compared to the year before, reaching a new high of 120,392 t in 2016, according to the latest figures from Recovinyl (Brussels / Belgium; www.recovinyl.com). PVC-U profiles waste accounted for 62% of the UK’s recycling volume, with pipes, rigid and flexible PVC films and cables making up the remainder.

The UK’s performance represented 21% of the total recycled across Europe with Recovinyl being the main contributor. A total of 560,492 t of PVC waste was recycled last year through Recovinyl’s network, which currently comprises 153 partners spread across 18 EU countries – see Plasteurope.com of 06.07.2017. A major factor behind the rising volumes of recycled PVC is the growing demand from manufacturers for good-quality recycled material, Recovinyl noted.

Project manager Jane Gardner of Recovinyl’s UK agent, Axion (Bramhall; www.axiongroup.co.uk), said PVC recycling is maintaining an upward trend thanks to ongoing investment in recycling infrastructure and the sector’s strong commitment. “It’s a significant achievement that demonstrates the sustainability of this readily recyclable material,” she commented.

Further PVC recycling initiatives have been established in the UK, including the collection of single-use PVC waste medical devices through "Recomed" (www.bpf.co.uk/recomed.aspx), which is funded by VinylPlus and undertaken jointly by Axion and the British Plastics Federation (BFP, London / UK; www.bpf.co.uk).

Recovinyl was established to facilitate PVC waste collection and recycling within the European industry’s VinylPlus voluntary initiative, which has committed to recycle 800,000 t of PVC waste annually by 2020. This figure includes 100,000 t of difficult-to-recycle PVC through the development of innovative technologies. To date, Recovinyl said around 3.5m t of PVC has been recycled through the Vinyl 2010 and VinylPlus frameworks since 2000.