Recycling: There’s still life in those old windows!

Posted by | February 26, 2021

We all know that double glazing delivers outstanding performance and value for money, with most installations having a service life of 18 years or more. But there comes a point when it is clear that even the most hardwearing windows are reaching the end of their use.

Problems like:
● blown seals,
● leaking,
● cracked or chipped glass,
● draughts,
● stiff or broken hinges, handles, and locks,
are strong indicators that your windows require imminent replacement.

Old windows often end up in a landfill.
Before the new double glazing of your choice gets installed, those old windows need to come out. It is a shame, but in many cases, the plastic, frames, metal, and glass from old uPVC glazing end up dumped when much, if not all of the materials that go into double glazing can be recycled.

Without an effort to recycle double-glazed windows, the frames will not break down. Old uPVC remains an unsightly contribution to the increasingly recognized plastic pollution that is impacting our environment, with a shocking 82% of uPVC waste going to landfill in a 2005 study!

Double glazing recycling means that old windows don’t need to become waste!
There is absolutely no reason why the plastics, metal, and glass used in uPVC windows cannot be fully recycled to create new windows, as well as a whole host of other products.
Reputable door and window companies like ours are fully aware and on board with the need to ensure that old double glazing is recycled, by providing a window recycling service to all our customers. We want to save old windows from the landfill and incinerator and see to it that as many as possible become new windows and doors.

Great benefits of recycling old double glazing.
Double glazing is already an environmentally-friendly, energy-saving product. By recycling old uPVC windows we gain the added benefit of:
1. Less waste: Repurposing used double glazing means that there is less scrap material going into landfills.
2. Less pollution: As about 15 percent of old uPVC is incinerated, recycling will cut down on the harmful air pollution generated by this.
3. Recycling makes uPVC windows and doors sustainable: uPVC is a petrochemical product. We need to be recycling as much of this material as possible to slow the consumption of our natural resources. Recycling has the potential to make uPVC a truly sustainable product with a window or door delivering hundreds of years of use through repeated recycling.
4. Save energy: recycled old windows will save energy and chemicals used in processing materials to make brand new plastics.

How uPVC windows are recycled
We partner with specialist recycling companies that are experts in reclaiming uPVC from old windows and doors. The windows are dismantled and the uPVC profiles and other components are separated and graded.
The uPVC is then crushed down and either chipped or powdered for use by the plastic extrusion industry.
Glass is also recovered from old double glazing windows and can be readily washed, crushed, melted down, and made into new panes, again and again. Indeed recycled uPVC windows and doors are now proving a lucrative market for the recycling contractors who have seen big increases in demand for these recycled materials.

Something old something new
Recycled uPVC is a versatile product and can be used to create a range of useful products including:
● guttering
● soffits
● fencing
● decking
● pipes and tubing,
● and, of course, new uPVC windows

Get experienced double glazing contractors to recycle and replace your windows
By purchasing new uPVC windows and doors from our company, you will not only benefit from our high-quality inventory and expertise, but you will also have the reassurance of knowing that your existing windows can and will be recycled.
Putting old windows to new use through recycling makes a great product like uPVC windows even better.

To learn more, our helpful team is happy to visit your property to provide all the information and advice you need to replace your windows responsibly. You can also take advantage of our free measuring service too.

Call or email us today to get started.