Is the PVC a product that generates high amounts of wastes?
No. Consumers in European Union countries produce more than 114 million- metric tonnes of domestic waste, of which plastics account for around seven per cent by weight. PVC: accounts for only nine per cent of that total plastics waste. Looked at another way, this is a good deal less than one per cent of all domestic waste. One of the reasons for the low level of PVC in domestic waste is that more than 70 per cent of this material is used for applications that have a service life of more than ten years. In addition, more than 40 per cent of all PVC being produced goes into applications with expected lifetimes of 40 years and more; some, like pipes, even 100 years. Larger quantities of PVC long-life applications will only start to enter the waste stream after the year 2015, by which time comprehensive waste management schemes for this product have to be in place. If we compare the amounts of PVC waste generated in solid urban residues, with other products involved in packaging, this amou
