Feb/March 2020

Article PVC-U Recycling
BEWARE THE RECYCLING ROGUES
Simon Scholes, MD of VEKA Recycling, believes that 2020 will see most PVC-U extruders
promoting ‘sustainable’ window systems. But, he says, the clamour to be green will also
attract the wrong attention...
Can you feel it? The groundswell that is the
wider acceptance by the UK window and
door industry that not only is the recycling
of old PVC-U frames good for the industry, at
long last the inclusion of recycled material in
new profiles is also a positive. The incredibly
anachronistic view that homeowners don’t want
‘second hand’ material in their new windows is
at last being replaced by the concept – shock
horror! – that taking the old and recycling it into
something new is a good thing. And that actually,
it might even sell more product. For what can be
an incredibly progressive industry, this is one key
area in which it has collectively dragged its heels.
A number of key players have at last decided
to make sustainability one of the key tenets of
their brand and they must be commended, even
if they too are behind the curve of pretty much
every other consumer sector; though better late
than never. They are tapping into the mindsets of
homeowners increasingly swayed by the constant
stream of information coming through every
information channel, about the need for all of us
to reduce our impact on the planet. And before
you roll your eyes at yet another sermon, this will
put money in the pockets of anyone involved with
PVC-U windows and doors…
Commercial sense
How? There are two strings to how sustainability
makes commercial sense for the PVC-U framing
industry: The recovery of old PVCU frames and
recycling them to be remanufactured into brand
new products; and the inclusion of reprocessed
polymer from old windows in brand new profiles.
The first is known and understood by most, if for
no other reason than it makes financial sense
to have old frames collected rather than pay for
them to be skipped off to landfill.
Simon Scholes, MD of VEKA Recycling
“ There is potential
for rogue waste
contractors to
derail us”
The second of these still requires wider
acceptance by the industry – although not, I
maintain, by Mr and Mrs Homeowner – that
profiles extruded using recycled material will
perform at least as well as those produced using
only virgin polymer. I am astonished to hear the
view – though less so these days – from some
fabricators and installers, that somehow profile
containing ‘second hand’ material is inferior.
Despite this residual negativity I firmly believe
that 2020 will see most of the remaining
PVC-U systems brands beginning to support
the excellent sustainability credentials of the
material, bringing us into the 21st Century and
in-line with consumer demands. Crucially, the
industry moving together will have the effect,
long overdue, of distancing PVC-U from single
use plastics and other materials – the images
of which are causing widespread concern at the
validity of plastic generally.
However, whilst as a seasoned campaigner for
PVC-U recycling I am delighted that I can now
see wholesale movement towards the treatment
of used PVC-U as a valuable commodity instead
of something to simply be discarded, we do face
a number of potential stumbling blocks along the
way; and not least of these is the potential for
rogue waste contractors to derail us.
By law, the responsibility for old PVC-U frames
does not end the minute they are collected by
the disposal contractor. Under the Environmental
Protection Act of 1990 everyone in the chain, from
installer through to final disposal, has a duty of
care to ensure that waste is collected, processed
and disposed of according to a number of strict
rules. A code of practice applies throughout
the chain and failure to comply can result in
fines that have no upper limit. In other words,
installers removing old PVC-U frames must have
proof that they will be processed and disposed of
responsibly or may find themselves facing the full
power of the courts.
Crucially, as our industry finally becomes
sustainable in the recycling and re-use of PVC-U
frames, with the increased volumes also comes
the potential for abuse by rogue traders. So whilst
we must take pride in the fact that our industry is
enhancing its green credentials, we must be sure
that it does not come before a great fall (further
information can be found at: www.legislation.gov.
uk/uksi/1990/2635/contents/made).
Contact Veka Recycling
01933 427750
veka-recycling.co.uk
22 T F FEB/MAR 2020 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN