VinylPlus launches medical PVC recycling pilot program in Belgium

A new project called VinylPlus-Med aims to collect discarded single-use PVC medical devices that will be recycled into new products for sale in Europe
.
The project, involving hospitals, waste management companies, recyclers and the PVC industry, will build on the success of the VinylPlus-funded RecoMed programme, a PVC medical device recycling project in the UK to launch in 2021
.
The pilot project has now officially launched in Belgium
.

The novel coronavirus has highlighted the important role of single-use plastic medical devices in preventing and controlling disease infection, while also presenting the challenge of how to properly dispose of plastic medical devices after use
.

"In this context, VinylPlus hopes to be of some help to hospitals in Belgium
.
Most PVC medical waste is non-infectious and can be recycled after proper sorting and collection
.
We are eager to improve the availability of PVC in this critical area.
Recyclability
,” said Brigitte Dero, Managing Director of VinylPlus
.

A key success factor is establishing proper sorting and recycling processes for non-infectious plastic waste
.
Products involved include oxygen masks, anesthesia masks, catheters, IV and dialysis bags that are used once and for a short time on non-infectious patients
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VinylPlus Med will establish a recycling program to help Belgian hospitals sort such clean and REACH-compliant PVC waste into PVC medical waste streams
.

Initial participants in the pilot include European hospitals, waste management company Renei, recycler Raff Plastics and VinylPlus
.
These partners are all located within a 120km radius to reduce transport distances and thus minimise the carbon footprint
.

“Circularity and innovation are things that the industry must do together
.
Value chain collaboration is critical in the transition to a circular economy
.
We are therefore very proud to be part of this sustainability project to bring back the previously discarded PVC A second life
," said Dries De Pauw, director of sales and marketing at Renewable Energy
.

Caroline Van der Perre, co-owner of Raff Plastics, added: “For Raff Plastics, projects like VinylPlus Med are important because we believe that everything starts with a good collection
.
Projects like this are important for raising awareness and Strengthening our collaborative commitment to circularity is critical
.
"