Veka Recycling
Europe’s biggest and most modern recycling factory for windows and doors is located in Thuringia, in the centre of Germany. The factory has been certified as a waste management company since 1997 which makes them the first enterprise within the PVC recycling branch. With the awareness of plastic, and single use plastic in particular, on the rise, you can be assured that the Veka factory in Germany is responsible for recycling and processing more than 50,000 tons of PVC window materials every year.
1) Avoiding waste.
2) Recycling waste.
3) Eliminating waste in an environmentally compatible way.
The process of recycling loop plastics windows begins with the removal of an old window and recycling its old elements. Then the materials are returned to the beginning of the production system in order to manufacture and assemble new windows. This demonstrates the journey of the individual materials and highlights how Veka avoids waste through an environmentally compatible way. This means that new windows are produced ready for new homes.
The use of recycling material reduces the Carbon Footprint of production by up to 90%. By turning old windows and production off cuts into valuable resources, Veka preserves raw material resources which creates the sustainable use of resources and energy. When you buy a PVC window from Veka, you can be at a peace of mind knowing that their high recycling rate results in reliable and efficient waste prevention.
PVC life cycle
When we install new windows and doors, the old units and materials are now brought back to one of our three installation centres in order to be recycled. Veka collect these old and unwanted windows and doors on a weekly basis, which are then processed through their UK recycling centre based in Northampton. PVC pellets are separated, with pure white pellets being made available for the production of new windows and doors. Contaminated pallets are not put to waste but are used to produce background products such as electrical conduit, decking and fencing, all of which are retailed in our stores. So when you purchase one or all of our products mentioned, you can have a peace of mind knowing that Leekes effectively re-purchase the recycled PVC in a number of different forms.
Landfill
At Leekes, we also strip down all our products in our own yards. Glass, timber and metals are all fully recycled which results in zero landfill. It is crucial for us as a company to adopt this sustainable ethos and we can proudly confirm that we have seen 919.89 tonnes recycled or used as waste for energy since October 2018. This year alone, we have also improved the efficiency of our logistics by ensuring there is one collection point for all recycling, which then contributes to significantly reducing our carbon footprint. We action this by setting our delivery fleet to return to the central distribution site loaded with our furniture, timber, cardboard and plastic waste.
Future
Although we are so proud of the ethical progress we have made this year as a company, we know there is always room for improvement. We still have compactors for polythene, so our next challenge is looking at reusable packaging for transferring goods to site so we again reduce down our waste product.
Categories: Updates
