INDUSTRY NEWS
Celebrating 15 years at the forefront of PVC-U recycling
2022 sees the 15th anniversary of VEKA Recycling Ltd operating as an independent business in the UK . The company began trading at its original Swanscombe , Kent site in May 2007 , before transferring to the present-day , 5.5 acre site in Wellingborough early in 2018 , since when Europe ’ s most advanced PVC-U recycling facility has been constructed , coming fully on stream in December 2020 .
Built at a cost of £ 15 million , an investment that is now almost double the original budget , the Wellingborough facility has the capacity to process up to 35,000 tonnes of post-consumer and virgin offcuts , most of which is now channelled back into the extrusion of new window profiles . Crucially , the decision to make the investment in the Wellingborough plant was made post- Brexit , confirming the commitment of VEKA Group to the UK market , irrespective of any politically related economic fears . The Wellingborough plant is the third such facility to be built by VEKA Umwelttechnik GmbH , the specialist recycling subsidiary of the VEKA AG Group , of which VEKA Recycling Ltd is a wholly owned division . The company has pioneered PVC-U recycling in Europe with its first plant opening in Behringen , Germany in 1993 . A further facility was opened in France in 2006 . The combined capacity of the three plants exceeds 100,000 tonnes of PVC-U windows a year . The processes employed at all plants separate rubber , metals and other impurities from the PVC-U to enable re-use of all materials , with the Wellingborough facility deemed to be the most sophisticated plant of its type anywhere in Europe .
Simon Scholes , who began as Sales Manager and is now Managing Director , is the company ’ s second longest serving employee ( the longest serving is driver and proudly self-proclaimed all-rounder Rob Lyons ) joining the firm just a few months after it began trading . He said : “ The Wellingborough plant was built from scratch to take advantage of the latest recycling technologies and we now produce the highest quality polymer for use in a range of products , including brand new window and doorframe profiles . We have the ability to promote and deliver PVC-U windows as truly sustainable at a time when plastic generally is under close scrutiny and to make the most of what is a tremendous resource . And of course , greater emphasis than ever in now placed on recycled PVC-U material following the supply chain issues that have hit the industry in recent times .”
Homeowners are becoming increasingly aware of ways to reduce their environmental impact , with retail installers also reporting an interest shown by homeowners in the future of the windows being removed from their homes . “ The recent FIT Show provided considerable anecdotal evidence that homeowners now want to know that the PVC-U windows being removed from their homes will be dealt with sustainably . This is gathering momentum , with more retailers now proactively advising homeowners that their old windows will be recycled ,” explained Simon .
The leadership shown by VEKA in pioneering recycling of PVC-U extends to educating everyone in the supply chain and cleaning up the image of reprocessing , says Simon : “ We are determined to make sure people understand the logistics and realities of recycling windows , especially the potential consequences for installers and their homeowner customers for committing waste fraud , which is a serious issue .”
www . veka-recycling . co . uk
14 JUNE 2022 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM