Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) issued a call for hospitals, recyclers, and logistics organizations interested in participating in a new U.S. Medical PVC Recycling Pilot Program.
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Following today's successful PVC Recycling Webinar, the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) issued a call for participants for a new U.S. Medical PVC Recycling Pilot Program. Interested hospitals, recyclers, and logistics organizations can sign up on the VSC's webpage: U.S. Medical PVC Recycling Pilot. The pilot initiative aims to divert products from landfills and encourage the recycling of non-hazardous medical PVC devices in hospitals. Pilot participants will be identified by the end of June for a program launch in 2022.
"PVC is integral to the safe and efficient operation of healthcare facilities all over the world," said Jay Thomas, Vinyl Sustainability Council Executive Director. "Hospitals depend on the anti-kink properties of PVC tubing and the ability of vinyl blood bags to preserve the blood supply critical to patient care. For these reasons, PVC is used in nearly 30% of medical devices globally. This is a prime opportunity for the U.S. vinyl industry to work with hospitals, recyclers, and logistics organizations to create a recycling pilot in the U.S. We are ready to implement what we've learned from our colleagues in Belgium, Australia, South Africa, and Canada, who already have successful medical PVC recycling programs in place."
The VSC pilot program will look to collect non-hazardous medical PVC devices, such as IV bags, oxygen masks, and oxygen tubing waste to be remanufactured into new products.
The VSC has set a goal to increase post-consumer recycling to nearly 160 million pounds by 2025. To accomplish this, the VSC has developed a PVC recycling roadmap to reach its goal that includes enabling technology innovation, increasing infrastructure investments, informing recyclers and product producers, and collaborating with other organizations committed to PVC recycling. A U.S. medical PVC recycling pilot program, in addition to the Vinyl Siding Institute's ongoing vinyl siding recycling pilot and the Chemical Fabric and Films Association's vinyl roofing membrane pilot program, will help the industry achieve this goal.
About the Vinyl Sustainability Council
The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), founded in 2016 in partnership with the Vinyl Institute, is a collaborative platform for companies, organizations, and other industry stakeholders to come together to advance the U.S. vinyl industry's contribution to sustainable development. Through its +Vantage Vinyl™ verification program, the VSC aims to drive continuous improvement across all three aspects of sustainability – environmental, social and economic performance. For more information, please visit http://www.vantagevinyl.com
Media Contact
Susan Wade, The Vinyl Sustainability Council, 1-202-765-2290, [email protected]
SOURCE The Vinyl Sustainability Council
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