What Happens Next to PVC

What Happens Next to PVC

When it comes to recycling PVC, the European Union has the most advanced system in the world. However, less than 3 percent of post consumer PVC is recycled. By 2020, that amount is expected to triple and climb to a maximum potential of 18 percent.

Reduced Emissions

Recycling 1 ton of PVC generates about 120 kilograms of CO2, while producing 1 ton of virgin PVC generates about 1,900 kilograms of CO2. Recycled PVC produces 94 percent less emissions than using virgin materials.

Nearly 60 companies make second-generation products from recycled vinyl, and although PVC is harder to recycle than other plastics, it still can be processed to make:

Industry, construction and housing

  • Fencing
  • Drainage piping
  • Non-pressure pipe
  • Industrial liners
  • Handrails
  • House siding
  • Plastic lumber
  • Flooring
  • Skirting for mobile homes
  • Window frames
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Electrical boxes
  • Cooling tower fill

Transportation and automotive

  • Parking blocks
  • Sound-deadening panels for automobiles
  • Pavement patching
  • Boating and docking bumpers
  • Automotive floor mats
  • Traffic cones
  • Walkway pads

Apparel, accessories and recreation

  • Vinyl notebooks and sleeves
  • Checkbook covers
  • Pool liners
  • Shoe soles
  • Tubes
  • Bags
  • Clothing
  • Gift and credit cards

The post-consumer recycling of PVC occurs at a much lower rate than other types of plastic, such as PET or HDPE. A major reason for this is due to the long life of most vinyl products. Consider these facts:

  1. Eighty percent of PVC products have a life expectancy of 15 to 100 years.
  2. Ten percent of PVC products have a life expectancy of two to 15 years.
  3. Only 10 percent of PVC is used in products with a life expectancy of less than one year. Six percent of that total is for packaging.


Bibliography: What Happens Next to PVC
  • "Recovinyl" The Vinyl Institute Healthy Building Network.