The vinyl (PVC) roofing membrane industry has done an excellent job of minimizing waste in its own manufacturing processes. An estimated 99.5 percent of production waste is collected and recycled back into new roofing products. This so-called pre-consumer recycling, done by manufacturers before a product ever reaches the market, results in less than one-half percent of raw material waste. Even with such a seemingly positive sustainability stat, the industry is taking even more steps to reduce it further via its Pathway to Zero program.
When it comes to post-consumer recycling of PVC roofing – that is, once it has reached the end of its service life – the industry is working hard to help build awareness with its end-users and other stakeholders in institutional and commercial facilities. To be successful, post-consumer recycling requires participation from building owners, facility managers, and contractors to help drive the effort. By choosing to make a more sustainable choice, the collective buy-in from these decision-makers can help prevent these resources from simply being tossed into a dumpster and sent to the landfill. Instead, they can be recycled for use in other applications, including new roofing materials.
The PVC roofing industry is pleased that since tracking of recycling efforts began in 2014, 200 million pounds of pre- and post-consumer recycled PVC roofing have avoided the landfill. In 2024 alone, 10 million square feet of post-consumer roof area was recycled. However, there is much work left to be done.
Many building stakeholders still speak of reticence to recycle PVC roofing. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know the proper procedure for collecting old roofing membrane. They might fear prohibitive expenses, too. The Vinyl Roofing Division of the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association (CFFA), the professional advocacy organization for the PVC roofing industry, is trying to demystify the recycling process and increase the number of re-roofing projects that begin with the recycling of the original PVC roof.
The Vinyl Roofing Division has turned to two experts in the roofing and PVC industries to help shape the response for greater participation in recycling efforts. Brian Whelan is the owner of Roof Resources and past executive of Sika Sarnafil. Richard Krock is the owner of VyChlor Advisors, LLC, and former senior vice president of the Vinyl Institute. These key consultants both have more than three decades’ experience in the roofing and PVC industries and are thought leaders on roofing recyclability and green building initiatives.
“As an organization, we’re trying to raise awareness about the efficacy of PVC roofing membrane recycling,” says Whelan. “There’s wide diversity in awareness levels. Some building owners don’t realize recycling is even possible, that they have the ability to prevent an old roof from going to a landfill. Others do know but aren’t sure of how it’s done, or how many steps it might add to their roof replacement project or how much additional cost might be involved.”
The association is trying to answer some of those questions. It has recently released an animated video that covers the PVC roof recycling process, from initial meeting to the final flatbed driving off to the recycling facility.
The video makes clear that it takes only a few extra steps and minimal extra labor to remove mechanically fastened or ballasted PVC roof membranes and package them for recycling.
Recycling PVC roof membrane conserves resources and minimizes construction materials disposed of in landfills. The first step in a successful roof recycling project is to have a kickoff meeting with all the stakeholders to discuss the recycling steps, logistics, storage, and handling of the existing PVC membrane.
Often, the cardboard tubes that form the core of new PVC membrane rolls can be reused to roll up the existing PVC membrane. Next, roofers will need to slice the existing PVC membrane into manageable pieces.
Building stakeholders will also be pleased to learn that there is no one right way to package and bundle the old roof onto pallets. The video explains several popular options such as the pyramid configuration, the ribbon candy method, the log cabin method, and the cut and stack method. What is most important is that the membrane is packaged in such a way that it is safe to lower from the roof and transport to the recycler using fully loaded flatbed trucks. Maximizing the amount of old roof that goes on the truck helps lower the cost of recycling and also impacts the carbon footprint benefit.
In addition to the new video, the Vinyl Roofing Division submitted a paper with the National Institute for Standards and Testing (NIST), the first of its kind, which quantifies the carbon benefit of recycling PVC roofing. The paper was first presented at REMADE Institute’s April 2025 conference in Washington D.C., which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. A publication date is imminent.
“With the paper, we want to give property owners something more tangible they can look to and say, ‘this is why we’re choosing to recycle,’” says Krock, who notes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a goal to hit a 50 percent recycling rate for the entire country by 2030 for all materials.
Recycling a roof aligns with certain green building certifications. If the building is already certified, the project might qualify as part of maintaining certification.
“Even without any certifications, recycling a roof can be reported as a sustainability initiative under corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures,” says Krock. “The International Sustainability Standards Board includes ESG financial reporting guidelines.”
Recycled PVC roofing can contribute to both closed-loop and open-loop processes. In a closed loop process, PVC roofing is recycled and used to make new PVC roofing membranes, roof walkways, and accessories. In an open-loop process, PVC roofing is recycled and used to make products other than roofing. These products often include flooring, concrete expansion joints, and other products. Both closed and open loop processes will avoid landfilling and contribute to carbon reduction.
Of course, as in any business, cost is an issue. Whelan and Krock admit that every job will be different, and it’s difficult to offer building owners a rule of thumb on how much they can expect to pay when adding recycling to their re-roofing projects.
“The reality is, they won’t know until they price out the job,” says Krock. “What we recommend is that project owners have a line item in their bid form, asking roofing contractors to enter the cost associated with a potential recycling of the old roof. That way, facility managers can plainly see how much extra it will cost and determine if they believe the effort is worth it.”
Obviously, the PVC roofing industry believes it absolutely is worth it.
“There is value in recycling a roof,” says Whelan. “Of course it’s the right thing to do. From a sustainability perspective, there is no better way to be a good community partner.”
Bill Bellico is the marketing chair for the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association (CFFA), an international trade association representing manufacturers of polymer-based fabric and film products. They are involved in the building and construction industry, but don't directly manufacture roofing materials.
