Recyclable
Even after a useful lifetime of decades, vinyl products can be recycled into new applications. Companies making carpet, roofing, siding, flooring, pipe and other vinyl products are expanding or exploring recycling programs.
Post-industrial
The scrap and trim recycled from vinyl manufacturing and fabrication adds up to more than 1 billion pounds per year. Vinyl’s ability to be recycled back into like products and cross-cycled into different products translates into landfill avoidance.
- Post-industrial recycled vinyl is in such demand that its price is indexed in leading plastic industry publications
- Scrap vinyl is recycled into a variety of products: floor tiles and mats, garden hoses, fencing, automotive sound deadening applications, building and construction profiles, pipe, boots, notebook covers, and traffic cones
Post-consumer
Tens of millions of pounds of post-consumer vinyl are recycled annually. A tremendous additional amount of post-consumer material is not yet available for recycling because it is still in service as pipe, siding, and other products that last decades.
- With a history of providing financial and technical support, the Vinyl Institute is helping to develop a nationwide vinyl recycling infrastructure
- Take-back programs are growing in popularity in many vinyl product areas, including vinyl-backed carpeting, roofing, siding, floor coverings, wall coverings, and pipe
