Source: mejordealuminio.com

The advantages of aluminium in the area of ecology are impressive.

We say that aluminium is an eco-friendly material because it is all 100% recyclable, and can be recycled an endless number of times. In other words, it is SUSTAINABLE*. Furthermore, its performance remains UNALTERED. The material does not alter and once it takes on a new form, you have a unit that is ready to last for as long as required.

*The 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit coined the official definition: “Sustainable development is development which is able to meet current needs without compromising the resources and possibilities of future generations”.

Is plastic recyclable? As much as some wish it were, no.

You hear  that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is recyclable and there are even those who speak of the eco-friendly characteristics of plastic, but the truth is that these statements do not withstand the slightest analysis. Plastic is neither eco-friendly nor sustainable*.

In terms of windows, we understand that part of the PVC profiles used to manufacture plastic windows will be recycled, although this step is extremely expensive. This is because the price of used PVC is zero, and you have to pay to have it removed. Conclusion: there is no market for used PVC.

This is creating large quantities of PVC waste.  Environmental authorities require part of this material to be recovered in some way. Producers acknowledge that the most economical alternative is what they call “energy recovery”, which is very lexically processed, since it is nothing more than the burning of PVC waste to generate heat through combustion. Thus, a minimal part of the energy used to manufacture them is recovered. And since we are on the matter of “burning PVC”, we could ask whether PVC burns. The answer is yes.

The question is easily answered:

• Aluminium has been effectively recycled for 100 years
• After 50 years, they continually tell us that PVC is “recyclable”.