UPVC Windows and the Environment
I’ve banged on a lot on this blog about the benefits to the environment (and your pocket) of double glazing. Niggling away at the back of my mind, though, was something I read months ago about UPVC frames being bad for the environment. I struggled to see how double glazing, something touted by all concerned in the world of the eco-warrior as having a positive effect on the environment, could also have a negative effect. So, I decided to find out - what better thing to do on a rainy Saturday than research double glazing?
I found the following information on the negative aspects of UPVC (Vinyl to those of us who remember LPs, or long player records, to give them their full name):
- Production of UPVC is, apparently, hazardous
- UPVC is difficult to dispose and it is difficult to recycle
Then I found a uTube video by Dr Patrick Moore. As a founding member of Greenpeace, I thought that his arguments, whether negative or positive, could be relied upon to be well informed and, indeed, they were. And the estimable Dr Moore makes a case for UPVC double glazing. His argument is that, as UPVC has such a long life - 35 years with virtually no maintenance - the disposal issue is overstated.
And what about recycling? Well perhaps it is difficult, but it is not impossible. I did a little Googling and found Recovinyl, a pan-European organisation that provides financial incentives to support the collection of PVC waste. The organisation’s literature states: (brackets mine)
It (PVC) is used to make long-lasting products, often with a life-expectancy exceeding 60 years. In addition to its longevity, PVC is a material perfectly fit for recycling after its use.
So, disposal and recycling of UPVC frames are not major issues, although they are issues that are ripe for new initiatives.
Manufacturing is an issue. However, as double glazing the average property results in a reduction of approximately 740 kg a year in carbon dioxide production, it would seem that the benefits outweigh the problems. In fact, if everyone in the UK who needed to install double glazing did so, 59,200 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be eradicated from the UK’s overall carbon footprint.
The Way Forward
So what conclusions did I come to on that rainy Saturday afternoon?
- UPVC double glazed windows are very beneficial to the environment - just look again at the CO2 reduction above
- UPVC can and, indeed, should be recycled. A greater awareness of this fact and how to access the relevant facilities needs to be encouraged in the general population
- Until a new, safe to manufacture, product has been developed, replacement of old windows with UPVC double glazing should be encouraged.
As we used to write at the end of a scientific experiment when I was at school QED!
Tags: double glazing, the environment, UPVC