What do a luxurious foam bath, a slice of toast with honey, and sunbathing on a swimming pool deck have in common? PVC bottle! Thanks to an innovative recycling initiative, post-consumer PVC bottles are being transformed into high-quality wood plastic composite decking, giving new life to plastic waste and benefiting the environment.
“South African households are encouraged to collect their recyclable waste in clear bags for collection by waste management companies or waste pickers. The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA), as the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the PVC packaging industry is proud to report on the phenomenal success of ReVinyl, one of our recycling partners that focus specifically on post-consumer rigid PVC packaging. ReVinyl has successfully recycled post-consumer PVC bottles, such as honey bottles and bubble bath bottles, which is collected from waste collectors like Pambili in Johannesburg. These bottles are purchased, collected, washed, and recycled into high quality usable raw material for use in the downstream process”, says Monique Hinds, CEO of SAVA.
An innovative end-use market that has been developed by ReVinyl for post-consumer PVC bottles is using them in wood plastic composite decking manufactured by NowaTech (Pty) Ltd, a prominent South African wood plastic composite (WPC) manufacturer. With their extensive expertise in PVC technology, NowaTech can mix recycled PVC bottle resin with other additives and fillers at their manufacturing plant in Modimolle (formerly known as Nylstroom, Limpopo) to create superior wood plastic composite decking and other innovative products. Their dedication to sustainability has led to the launch of South Africa’s only locally manufactured recycled PVC product range for building applications, all of which come with a 15-year product guarantee.
Other notable products made by NowaTech from recycled PVC include pergolas, PVC traffic poles, housing planks and corner protectors.
“One of the many benefits of PVC is that it has superior UV-protection and is corrosion-free. This makes it ideal for use in other applications such as water pipes which are also often exposed to sunlight. Using recycled PVC bottles helps cut down raw material cost and energy use, while at the same time enhancing the quality and performance of the decking,” says Krithika Haridass Director of ReVinyl.
Benefits of Nowa Tech’s Wood Plastic Composite Decking Planks:
- Superior strength, ideal for a variety of applications
- Significant reduction in breakages during transport and installation
- Exceptional weathering and water resistance, perfect for the African sun and coastal areas
- Environmentally friendly, using recycled PVC and wood shavings for enhanced durability
- Suitable for commercial, residential, and industrial applications with no maintenance required
- Peace of mind with a 15-year factory guarantee
- Standard 4m lengths available from stock, with custom lengths available on request
- Lightweight and fire retardant
- UV stabilized for long-term durability
These innovative wood plastic composite decking planks are distributed throughout South Africa via decking installers, transforming a difficult-to-recycle product like PVC bottles into a beautiful, long-lasting solution for homes and offices. The wood plastic composite decks are in high demand around sub-Saharan Africa and around the world, with recent installations taking place in the UAE, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, and Mauritius.
ReVinyl’s recycling of post-consumer PVC bottles has prevented more than 90,000 kgs (3.6 million bottles) from going to landfill, saved greenhouse emissions and helped to create over 30 new jobs.
“Thanks to the on-going efforts of recyclers such as ReVinyl forming innovative partnerships with companies, such as NowaTech and Marley Roofing, that have used recycled PVC bottles in their decking facias and barge boards, SAVA were able to overachieve on the 6 % collection and recycling target set by Government, reaching an impressive 13,21% collection and recycling rate for Year 2. We are thrilled to see the positive impact of this exciting recycling initiative. Finding and supporting end-use markets for recycled waste is crucial, and we are proud to partner with ReVinyl to make a real difference,” Monique says.
“This innovation and breakthrough technology in manufacturing wood plastic composite decking, barge boards, and traffic poles demonstrates the potential of recycled materials. It’s essential to generate and sustain jobs in the recycling industry. Even though the PVC bottle market seems to be shrinking, we are proving that we can use this material effectively. We harness the best qualities of PVC to create outstanding products,” concludes Krithika Haridass of ReVinyl.
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Author: Keaoleboha Sefako from Aim Marketing & Communications Consultants on behalf of The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA).
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