A field guide to PVC
Most vinyl can’t be recycled. Here’s what to do with yours.
The honest answer for 11 kinds of vinyl. For 4 of them, nobody recycles it. The finder lists 14 places that do take vinyl, 2 of them open to households.
What do you have?
- 1 some public drop-offs
- 5 through contractors and businesses
- 1 recovered as a by-product
- 1 pilots only
- 3 not recycled
You have options
Public drop-offs exist, in some places.
Through the trade
Recycled through contractors, businesses or scrap dealers, not curbside.
Vinyl windows
Through contractors and businesses
Old vinyl window frames are rarely recycled once they come out of a house. The route that exists runs through contractors.
What to doPVC pipe and fittings
Through contractors and businesses
We found no public recycling route for used household pipe. Industrial recyclers take pipe scrap from businesses.
What to doVinyl fence, railing and decking
Through contractors and businesses
Some siding recycling programs also take vinyl fence.
What to doVinyl flooring
Through contractors and businesses
Before you pull it up, think about asbestos. The recycling that exists is commercial.
What to doPVC roofing membrane
Through contractors and businesses
The closest thing to a success story: commercial PVC roofs are recycled through a manufacturer program.
What to doWire and cable insulation
Recovered as a by-product
Old cable is recovered for its copper. The vinyl jacket comes along as a by-product.
What to do
Not recycled
No standing program. Reuse it, or it's trash.
Vinyl records
Pilots only
There is no standing recycling service for records in the US. A record that plays is worth more as a record.
What to doVinyl banners and billboards
Not recycled
We could not confirm any US program that recycles vinyl banners. Some are upcycled into bags.
What to doPackaging and #3 plastic
Not recycled
Not recycled. Keep #3 out of your curbside bin: it can spoil the bottles that are recyclable.
What to doPool liners, inflatables and other soft vinyl
Not recycled
Not recycled. Repair and reuse, then trash.
What to do
The honest picture
Most recycled vinyl was never in anyone's home
In 2024 the US and Canada recycled about 1.127 billion lb of PVC. 1.056 billion lb of it was factory scrap. Only 71.3 million lb, about 6%, was post-consumer, and that figure fell, missing the industry's own target by 58%. Source: resource-recycling.com