With Banners being a popular and a cheap way to advertise, PVC is classed as a throwaway item. We recycle less than 1% of all PVC produced. Estimates lead us to believe that the world manufactures upwards of 1.2 million PVC Banners annually. Banners account for a whopping 550 tonnes of PVC being thrown into landfill or been burned to release harmful toxins into the air! With plastic taking over 400 years to decompose in the environment, we have found the five best ways to recycle a PVC banner.
Be mindful when designing PVC Banners
Why not design your banner to be reusable? With banners having a lifespan of 6 months – 10 years, why not take advantage of this and create a banner which is more generic for various applications? Recycling saves you money and is less harmful to the environment. Intelligent design means banners can be used across different campaigns and events. To do this efficiently avoid using time restrictions such as dates and years. Use branding promotion ( your logo and slogan) rather than having event-specific content. This way, banners can be used again and again and delay the need to dispose of them.
Donate them
PVC is a useful material. You may not have the time to upcycle your banner or have another use for it, but this doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown away. Why not ask local clubs, schools or nurseries if they can make use of them. They would be great for arts and craft activities and prevents the banner from ending up in a landfill.
Create a bag
Arizona State University creates Banner bags as an eco-friendly replacement to single-use carrier bags. The university first started to upcycle its banners into bags in 2010. This trend has been happening globally with a group in Pakistan “Miracles Trust” launching a campaign to recycle election banners. Jamaica has been making schoolbags and pencil cases for children. A group called LUPITA working with a team from university Del Valle De Mexico on Campus Texcoco, have made this a fashionable product and have sold over 5,000 items made out of PVC banner. PVC is a super durable material. It is an ideal material for manufacturing bags. PVC is waterproof and sturdy, meaning it will last a long-time and won’t break when carrying bulky goods.
Photo by LUPITA WORKING WITH THE TEAM FROM UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE DE MÉXICO CAMPUS TEXCOCO
Get Creative with recycled PVC Banners
You can turn your PVC banner into a contemporary light just like Chan Wan Ki did to create Living Pixels in Hong Kong. They started their project with used PVC banners and wanted to create something unique and stylish. This creative use recycling PVC banners is a perfect way to prevent plastic from ending up in landfill as well as adding style to any eco-conscious home. Begin by cutting the banner into pieces and placing similar colours into groups. You can create any shape of lampshade you like by sewing these pieces together. Here they put the non-printed side of the banner away from the bulb so that the lamp appears plain white when switched off. The light fills the room with an array of colour when switched on creating an exciting and interesting luminous pattern. Leave gaps of various sizes to allow different amounts of light through. Finally, enjoy your new lampshade with an eco-friendly bulb.
PVC outdoor seating
Waterproof cushions can be made from PVC. Creating them from PVC material the cushions can be left out in the rain without getting damaged as they are ideal for long term outdoor use. Not only will this add a pop of colour to your garden, but it will also prevent PVC ending up in the landfill.
You Could Use Eco-Friendly Recyclable Banners!
Banner World also offers PVC-free Eco-Friendly Banners. These banners are made from different types of plastic which are 100% recyclable.
Send Your Used Banners to Blue Castle PVC Banner Recycling
Blue Castle take and recycle pvc banners in several innovative ways. They help to manufacture flooring for horses stables, dumbells, traffic cones and punch bags amongst other items.
Call Blue Castle on 01400 283895 or visit their pvc recycling website here.
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