Vinyl Siding Recycling

Vinyl siding has a lot of eco-friendly benefits. It is not a throwaway plastic but is actually a durable thermoplastic. Compared to any other material used for building exteriors, it is a more sustainable product. The manufacturing process doesn't generate any waste. During the manufacturing process, if you focus on vinyl siding’s ability to be recycled, you will notice that the industry actually raised the bar with landfill diversion best practices established as long ago as the 1970s.

People assume that because vinyl is not a recyclable product as it is plastic, and go to the landfill regularly. However, vinyl siding is actually a durable thermoplastic and was designed for “recycle-ability.”

According to Richard Krock, the Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs at The Vinyl Institute (VI), “Thermoplastic has the ability to be formed into a part or object and ground and re-formed. The ‘thermo’ implies that material can be re-ground and re-processed into another thermoplastic. In our facilities, materials that are manufactured out of spec do not get scrapped. They are put into our re-grind. In this process, you chop up the vinyl siding into pellet form and that material is put into the back ply of a future product.”

All vinyl siding consists of a top cap (co-extrusion), a virgin material exposed to weather, and a back ply that is partially re-ground from other material previously manufactured out of spec.The re-grind process has been in existence for more than 40 years, as long as co-extrusion was introduced and is common throughout the industry.

The manufacturers of vinyl siding are the first to incorporate re-grinding and co-extrusion processes. Hence, its an industry leader, and continues to be a highly efficient practitioner whereas some materials do not allow for these capabilities.

Vinyl siding’s co-extrusion advantages have also wielded post-consumer recycling opportunities. You can also produce vinyl siding using post-consumer manufactured vinyl. The interior of vinyl gutters is made from recycled substrates. Since 2014, post-consumer recycled vinyl has increased by 40%. The landfill diversion through its re-grinding process is vinyl siding’s biggest win as there is little or no post-manufacturing waste. Vinyl siding has a robust history of durability, long life.

Call Dillman Brothers to learn more.