PVC joinery in 45 year old windows disassembled, 100% recycled and reinstalled

In 1968, 11 PVC windows were installed in a private residence in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, aBrussels suburb. These were the first PVC windows to be installed in the Brussels region. After 45 years, they are still in good condition. They operate without any issues, they seal off rain and wind; and they still look perfect. But today, the heat loss through the single pane glass justifies their replacement by new PVC windows with double pane glass. The entire process of recycling end-of-life PVC-u windows in a closed loop was demonstrated live to press and special guests, who could witness how the old windows were dismantled and recycled and how the recycled material was used to produce new window frames. In this way the PVC window profile manufacturers clearlyshowed evidence that “closing the loop” is indeed a reality. Federplast.be, the association of the Belgian plastic and rubber producers and converters, and EPPA, the European PVC Window Profile and Related Building Products Association in Brussels jointly organised the event with the support of VinylPlus, the Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC industry (www.vinylplus.eu). One of the main targets of the VinylPlus programme is the commitment to recycle an ever increasing volume of PVC products, of which long life building products such as windows play a major role. One of the main targets of the VinylPlus programme is the commitment to recycle an ever increasing volume of PVC products, of which long life building products such as windows play a major role. “Our last annual progress report showed a total recycling rate of more than 362,000 tonnes for the year 2012 in Europe. Postconsumer PVC windows contributed substantially to the total volume. More than 2.5 million PVC windows have been recycled in 2012. Until 2020 VinylPlus is targeting total 800,000 tons annually“, explained Stefan Eingärtner, General Manager VinylPlus. Throughout Europe window profile manufacturers are working on increasing the postconsumer window recycling volumes. “In Germany, too, Rewindo has been a well-working post-consumer window recycling system for more than 10 years and it is significantly contributing to an increase in postconsumer PVC window recycling quantities. Similar initiatives were started successfully in most of the West-European countries within the EU27. We appreciate all the more the campaign now started here in Belgium“, emphasized EPPA president Andreas Hartleif. In Diksmuide the organizers presented the second step in closed loop recycling of PVC windows.