After a year of pilot projects, the Plastics Industry Pipe Association (PIPA) New Zealand has confirmed that plastic polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe can now be recycled in New Zealand.
An estimate 100 tonnes of plastic pipe will be collected this year and it is hoped this will increase as the construction and waste industries become aware of this service.
Plumbers and drainlayers can access this service by contacting the manufacturer of the pipe they are using, Marley New Zealand, Ipex Pipelines and RX Plastics, will now accept deliveries of pipe waste for recycling, after inspection. These pipe manufacturers see taking waste pipe back as part of taking responsibility for the whole life cycle of their products and being good corporate citizens.
All pipes will be inspected before delivery by the manufacturers to make sure they are not contaminated. Putting recycled pipes through a grinder and incorporating them into a new product obviously means the scheme is highly dependent on these inspections.
Both PVC and HDPE pipes are accepted. After sorting, waste pipes are reground into other pipe applications like drain flow coil pipe. Both PVC and HDPE are thermoplastics, which are easily re-melted and reformed into new products.
PIPA is now keen for all plumbers and drainlayers to help make PVC pipe recycling a success in New Zealand.
With green building practices becoming mainstream, more and more clients are requiring on-site rubbish sorting and segregation to meet recycling and waste minimisation targets.
The reduce, reuse, recycle approach needs to become just another aspect of standard business practices.
