New training package for PVC pipe industry
10/09/2020European PVC industry builds new 2030 sustainability programme at its annual event
19/10/2020Vinyl Belgium and VinylPlus are looking for a technical solution to enable an easy collection of uncontaminated PVC products in the healthcare sector.
What is the challenge?
PVC is one of the the most widely used plastics in hospitals in multiple applications such as medical devices (e.g. oxygen masks , intravenous bags, canulars), hospital infrastructure (e.g. floor and wall coverings) or drug packaging.
The recycling of this type of PVC products requires the collection of relatively small quantities from multiple sources. To make it effective, the collection should take place predominantly at the source of production e.g. hospitals’ sections were those products are being used.
Until now, due to the lack of a triage system at the source, as significant portion of uncontaminated PVC hospital waste (type B1) is mixed with contaminated waste (type B2), which is up to 10 times more expensive to process, which represents a significant cost.
A technical solution could help to make the collection of uncontaminated PVC waste in hospitals more efficient, e.g. compactors installed at the waste generation points in hospitals.
That solution will be a key tool to initiative efficient healthcare PVC waste recycling projects in Belgium.
How to find the solution?
Vinyl Belgium and VinylPlus took the opportunity of the Walloon Region’s ‘Challenge Plastics Go Green and Circular‘ – project to accelerate the circular economy in the plastics sector with concrete initiatives – to find a solution together with innovative SME’s and start-up’s.
During its 22 September workshop, the Walloon Region will put challenges holders – Vinyl Belgium’s and VinylPlus’, as well as 9 others – and SME’s and start-up’s together to a first brainstorm. A financial support will be proposed by the Region to the latter when developing the technical solutions effectively.
For more information on the 10 challenges that will be submitted to the Walloon SME’s and start-up’s: here.