The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI), a trade association representing the manufacturers of polymeric siding products in North America, is proud to announce the official launch of the Northeast Ohio Vinyl Siding Recycling Coalition in support of growing awareness around recycling vinyl siding. The Coalition is a partnership of over 50 members consisting of product manufacturers, recyclers, distributors, retailers, contractors and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. The Coalition is focused on completing vinyl siding’s sustainable lifecycle by working together to increase the amount of post-consumer recycling from September 2021 – September 2022 in Northeast Ohio.
“Many people think vinyl siding can’t be recycled; however, this is false,” said Kate Offringa, VSI President & CEO. “Vinyl siding [polypropylene siding and insulated vinyl siding, too] lends itself to recycling because it is made from vinyl. It is a thermoplastic that can be ground up repeatedly, re-melted and formed into a variety of new products even after the useful life of the product.”
Helping to complete the vinyl siding lifecycle can be as simple as finding a vinyl siding recycling center, according to Kent Powell, VSI member, Territory Sales Manager at Cornerstone Building Brands the Coalition’s chair. “Whether you’re a homeowner updating your exterior or a professional remodeler, you can recycle all used, unused and new vinyl siding from your job at one of the vinyl siding recycling centers near you,” Powell explained.
As the new Coalition began meeting over the past five months in preparation for launch, it became clear that the biggest challenges are creating a stronger understanding that vinyl siding can indeed be recycled and that logistics of getting waste to recyclers needs to be developed and better organized. The Coalition uses this infographic which communicates and educates about both issues. Offringa added: “We are very proud to join our industry colleagues to be a part of this historic Coalition. We encourage companies and individuals to keep checking in as we continue to add more locations that are helping to recycle scrap vinyl siding back in the manufacturing process.”