Photo from left: VSI Board Vice Chairman, Jamey Block, VI Vice President of Sustainability, Jay Thomas, VSI Board Chairman, Ralph Bruno, VSI President/CEO, Kate Offringa and VSI Vice President, Matt Dobson

The funding allows VSI to expand its Vinyl Siding Recycling Coalition (a pilot program based in Northeast Ohio), with a goal of developing a national model.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, US, May 22, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI), a trade association representing the manufacturers of polymeric siding products in North America, announced it has been awarded $100,0000 in grant funding through the Vinyl Institute’s VIABILITY Recycling Grant Program.

The funding allows VSI to accelerate the expansion of the Vinyl Siding Recycling Coalition, its unique pilot program in Northeast Ohio that has prevented more than 125,000 pounds of post-consumer residential vinyl siding from heading to the landfill since it launched in 2021.

According to Kate Offringa, President & CEO, VSI, the trade association plans to use the funds to build operating infrastructure to enable the recycling program to grow across North America. Plans include establishing a brand, creating an operational tracking system and dynamic IT platform and website, and initiating activities to expand into new markets in 2024.

“The VIABILITY Recycling Grant Program’s generous funding will allow VSI to work toward our association’s overall program goal – to recycle five-million pounds of post-consumer rigid vinyl annually by the end of 2025,” Offringa said. “The VSI is proud to join our industry colleagues to be a part of this trailblazing effort to accelerate the volume of post-consumer recycled PVC materials.”

A total of six organizations are recipients of the VIABILITY Recycling Grant Program’s first round of funding, totaling more than $460,000. Additional recipients of the first round of grants include Chemical Fabrics and Film Association; Every Shelter; Kelly Green Board, LLC; Norwich Plastics and Rochester Regional Health Systems; and Oregon State University.

According to Ned Monroe, President & CEO, VI, the grants through the VIABILITY program for PVC recycling projects support the purchase of equipment, advanced recycling research and development, educational programs, and program management for long-lasting and sustainable recycling of PVC products. The program aims to accelerate post-consumer vinyl recycling to 160 million pounds by 2025.

The Vinyl Siding Recycling Coalition currently offers 12 recycling center locations in Ohio – each site has easy-to-use collection containers that can accept vinyl siding in any size or color, soffits and accessories, and other rigid vinyl products such as vinyl deck, pipe and fencing.

“We’re thrilled to be raising awareness and significantly impacting the environment,” said Matt Dobson, Vice President, VSI. “The recycling program has received great traction from contractors on the local level so far. But many people don’t realize that vinyl is easy to recycle into other products. It’s easily ground up and can have a second life as decking, railings, pipes, windows and even new siding. We plan to utilize the grant to help expand and improve the program to the rest of the country and Canada.”

About The Vinyl Siding Institute
The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI), located in Alexandria, VA, is the trade association representing the manufacturers of polymeric siding and trim products in North America. As industry advocates, VSI’s goal is to further the development and growth of the vinyl and polymeric siding industry by helping to develop material, product and performance standards in cooperation with standards-making organizations and code bodies. VSI engages in product stewardship and outreach activities to enhance the image of the industry and its products and serves as an information resource to remodelers, builders, planners, designers, architects, elected officials, building code officials, distributors, homeowners and other exterior cladding decision-makers on the facts about vinyl siding. For more information, visit www.vinylsiding.org.

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Lisa C. Dunn
ldunn@vinylsiding.org
Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI)

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