Can You Recycle Vinyl? (Yes, Here's How!)

You might be wondering about the environmental impact of vinyl products in the home. Many of us are concerned about the environment and minimizing our negative impact. Naturally, more homeowners and renovators seek ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle whatever they can.

Today’s homes are more likely to have vinyl products, also known as PVC. You’ll find it in exterior siding, deck boards, or interior flooring. After construction or renovation, many PVC products end up in local landfills, but do they have to?

Vinyl products can be recycled, but not as part of a conventional recycling effort. PVC material can only be recycled with other PVC material to create more of the same. For that reason, you have to find a recycler that will accept and process PVC. Clean and separate your vinyl recyclables from all other materials.

Once you start looking around, you’ll see vinyl is a common product in constructing all kinds of real estate, including homes. Vinyl exterior siding is probably the most obvious. Homeowners choose it because of its affordability, energy efficiency, and durability against various weather conditions.

Vinyl flooring has also increased in popularity because of its durability, low cost, and waterproof properties. Vinyl can be made to mimic all kinds of other floors, such as tile or wood planking, but with a lower price and easier installation.

The internal structure of homes can include PVC products, such as in the plumbing and gutters. PVC has more applications in windows, blinds, exterior decks, and pool liners.

Vinyl is a recyclable product, but you can’t just put it in the recycling bin or drop it off at a typical municipal recycling plant. Vinyl is a difficult plastic to recycle because of how it is made.

Including PVC products with other recyclable plastics will contaminate those plastics. Exposing vinyl products to very high heat releases the locked chlorine, which converts to toxic chlorine gas. PVC recycling has to be treated with care.

For that reason, PVC can only be recycled into more PVC. When you drop off materials at a vinyl recycler, the PVC is ground into pellets that can be used to create other PVC products. The Vinyl Institute found that PVC can be recycled up to eight times.

The Vinyl Institute estimates 50 to 100 million pounds of vinyl is recycled each year. This number represents about 10% or less of the total amount of recycled plastic and is just one-third of 1% of the annual amount of manufactured PVC used in building materials each year.

Related Questions

Is vinyl harmful to the environment?

Remember that PVC is 57% chlorine, a dioxin that can contaminate the environment. This is most likely to happen during the manufacturing process, which requires additional toxic additives like lead. A release can also happen if the vinyl product catches fire, as the chlorine will become a harmful gas. 

Can I recycle vinyl flooring?

Like other PVC products, vinyl flooring is recyclable as long as it is with other PVC products. Make sure any recyclable flooring is separated from other plastics and recyclables. The vinyl flooring must also be clean and free of any adhesives used to bond it to the subfloor.

For a more sustainable built environment, let’s be aware of how the products used in home construction and renovation impact the environment. Vinyl has its advantages in that it is recyclable and can be used multiple times. Recycling vinyl also keeps it out of the landfill.

While you can’t recycle PVC the same way as aluminum, it can be done. All you need to do is find a recycler that accepts PVC material. In doing so, you minimize the environmental impact of vinyl manufacturing and keep it out of landfills.