Vinyl Council member and PVC Stewardship Program signatory, Welvic Australia has been awarded funding from the Victorian Government and the Australian Packaging Covenant to invest in innovative technology to divert PVC from landfill.

This matching funding will enable Welvic to expand and improve production to reprocess between 800-1000 tonnes of PVC a year. This will mean they will become one of the largest reprocessors and recyclers of PVC and along with other businesses, will ensure Victoria is the powerhouse in PVC recycling in Australia.

Welvic already receives common PVC items such as medical IV bags and they are exploring new opportunities such as advertising banners, and this will expand once the new plant is commissioned. High quality PVC recyclate is expertly mixed with compounds and can be returned for its original use or used in a large array of new product, such as industrial hoses and mats.

"This is a great example of what we can achieve through innovation and technology - Welvic can take what was once 'waste' and turn it into something valuable and new," Sustainability Victoria CEO, Stan Krpan said.

"It's particularly valuable in recycling flexible plastics, which is one of six priority materials identified in the recently released Victorian Market Development Strategy for Recovered Resources.

Welvic Director, Matthew Hoyne said "PVC recycling deserves to have a strong future in Australia. This grant is a good step forward improving Australia's capacity to reprocess a wide array of PVC products so we can deliver and support manufacturers with high quality recyclate and help them improve their competitive position in local and international markets."