Small Scale Recycling - a Key to Success
Small Scale Recycling - a Key to Success - Vinyl Council Australia
| June 1st 2011 |
| For a viable recycling sector, we should shift from striving for centralised, large scale infrastructure to a model of small-scale localised reprocessing, Rob Coombs, President of the Asia Pacific division of carpet manufacturer, InterfaceFLOR, told the PVC industry’s ReSource Summit 2011 last week. Around 60 delegates were gathered in Melbourne to consider strategies to develop commercially viable recovery and recycling operations for PVC in Australia, a challenge given our population size, the diverse use of PVC (or vinyl), and geographic spread. “Learning from natural ecosystems, we can see that sometimes being small and local is more effective and sustainable than trying to attain ever-increasing scale,” Coombs told the audience. “The answer may lie in developing a small-scale, localised recycling sector based around major consumers of products or those manufacturers using the recyclate.” Coombs’ approach was one of several initiatives proposed by delegates at the summit. Organised by the Vinyl Council of Australia, the ReSource Summit brought together a variety of representatives from across the plastics, government, and waste sectors to work together on a long term strategy to advance PVC recycling in Australia. The summit was a unique opportunity for delegates to influence the future of PVC recycling. The outcome is a collaborative strategy to develop new ways of managing PVC waste and resources in Australia. Recognising the need for the whole supply chain to work better together, Coombs found the summit was a great source of energy to progress the issue. “It was particularly advantageous to meet and discuss strategies with the industry as a whole,” he said. |
| The Vinyl Council of Australia is working to advance the sustainability of the vinyl, or PVC, industry in Australia. Its members are drawn from across the supply chain of the vinyl industry. |
| For more information contact Tracy Morden, Vinyl Council of Australia, directly on 03 9368 4857. |
| info@vinyl.org.au |
