Azek Co. forms C&D partnership with DTG Recycle

The partnership will expand Azek’s PVC recycling program and ties into its ESG, recycling goals.

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Chicago-based Azek Co. Inc., a decking products manufacturer, has announced a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recycling partnership with DTG Recycle, a recycler of construction and demolition (C&D) materials based in Mill Creek, Washington. The alliance expands Azek’s Full-Circle PVC Recycling program to include the collection of PVC-based C&D scrap.  

As part of the alliance, PVC scrap and debris collected by DTG Recycle will be processed by Return Polymers, a vertically integrated recycler and a wholly owned subsidiary of Azek based in Ashland, Ohio. The material will then get incorporated into one of Azek’s outdoor living product lines made with recycled PVC, including TimberTech Azek decking and Azek and Versatex Trim.  

“We are excited about what this C&D recycling alliance with DTG Recycle represents, a new recovery channel for PVC waste and scrap that might be otherwise destined for landfills,” says Azek CEO Jesse Singh. “Azek’s goal is to recycle one billion pounds of waste and scrap annually by the end of 2026. To achieve this ambition, and, ultimately, to advance and sustain a circular economy, it is imperative to find new solutions and new partners whose leadership, capabilities and sustainability goals match our own. We have found that and more in DTG Recycle.”  

DTG Recycle will use its extensive collection and processing network to help Azek and Return Polymers expand its Full-Circle PVC Recycling program beyond post-industrial producers. Items such as PVC siding, windows, fencing and pipe that enter the C&D channel are typically destined for the landfill and are amongst one of the recycling industry's most significant challenges.  

“PVC has always challenged the C&D recycling community,” says Tom Vaughn, CEO of DTG Recycle. “This is a big win for the construction industry and communities throughout the Pacific Northwest as this alliance both creates an open-loop recycling solution for otherwise landfill-bound debris and helps further protect the local and regional environments for everyone to enjoy. We are honored that Azek and Return Polymers chose us as their partner to offer this new sustainable end market to our region.”  

“While the industrial PVC recycling market is more established, the larger C&D market remains largely untouched,” says David Foell, Founder of Return Polymers. “It will require the special skills, expertise, and unique technologies developed by Return Polymers to lead the market into these uncharted waters. This, combined with the leadership and reputation of DTG Recycle, sets us on a path to scale more rapidly and expand our C&D PVC recycling program to other regions in the United States.”