PVC Recycling: Examples Of Recycled Vinyl

Mannington Commercial, a commercial flooring company with manufacturing facilities in Salem, N.J. has launched a massive vinyl recycling program. This program is scheduled to recycle 60,000,000 pounds of PVC in 2009 and 2010.

Flooring tiles are recovered from major buildings that are under renovation; this construction waste is then recycled into new premium tile at Mannington's facilities.

Dave Kitts, Mannington's Vice President (Environment) says that "The volume of VCT going into landfills is an industry-wide challenge. This partnership [with a regional reclamation company] exemplifies the sort of smart thinking that is reshaping manufacturing today. It is a simple business equation of supply and demand, built around our commitment to close the loop."

To learn more about this program, read this article: Mannington To Recycle 19 Million Pounds of Vinyl Composition Tile in 2009

While this project may not recycle large amounts of vinyl, it is certainly and entertaining and memorable reminder that we can and should be working hard to recycle on needed materials.

You will find this unusual art display in the entrance to the Frankfurt Museum of Communications. Jean-Luc Cornec created these dozen sheep completely from old telephones. He used phone receivers & cradles for the heads, and melted and bent phone receivers to create the legs. The most fascinating part of the sheet, however, is that many miles of telephone cords (made from vinyl) Jean-Luc used to create the main bodies of each sheep. The sheep or even set up to ring at certain intervals.

Doug Gunzelmann, of GreenUpgrader.com, observed, "Work like the Telephone Sheep force us to see new uses and value to otherwise expired products. Artists and designers will play an immensely important role in our world as we move forward towards more sustainable ideology."

To learn more about this art display, read this article: Recycled PVC Calls for Ewe-Nique Exhibit

"Paying with plastic" has taken a new turn recently with the release of a 100% recycled credit card from Arthur Blank and Company. The all new AB RecycledCard recycles waste closes the manufacturing loot for yet another PVC product.

To learn more about these cards, read this article: New Debit, Credit, and Bank Cards Are Made of Recycled PVC

As we continue to plunge forward and make breakthroughs in the area of vinyl manufacturing and recycling, I hope to see more and better PVC recycling programs. I hope to see even more companies close the manufacturing loop on vinyl products, as we recycle more every year.