How Does a Vinyl Record Get Recycled Into New Material?
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About Vinyl
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Almost 15 billion pounds of vinyl are produced every year, with the vast majority (some 70 percent) going to durable construction components like pipes and siding. Still, with all the millions of vinyl records produced over the last century, that still means there's a lot of vinyl out there by weight sitting in old record shops, closets and attics unused. While some vinyl is incinerated or deposited in landfills, fortunately, vinyl can also be melted and reformed over and over. Some vinyl records are thus being dusted off and collected to be made into entirely different products that bear no resemblance to the record itself. In more trendy applications, however, familiar products can be made from old vinyl so that the look and feel of the record remains.
Bulk Recycling
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In bulk commercial recycling, used vinyl material of all types, not just from vinyl records, is collected and decontaminated. This means sorting the vinyl from other material and washing it to ensure purity. The reusable vinyl is chopped into relatively large pieces and then ground down into tiny pellets not much more course than sand. These tiny pieces can be melted more easily and uniformly than the various input products from which they came. This is done by feeding them into a machine called an extruder that heats, molds, and squeezes out new shapes. The new products that result from this process, usually construction materials, will not be recognizable as having come from vinyl records.
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Boutique Products
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In sharp contrast to the bulk recycling process that removes any personality from a vinyl record, a number of boutique firms produce unique products that retain the qualities of the record, and in some cases fully utilize the distinct charm of the design and texture of the original record itself. For example, iPod cases, carrying cases, snack bowls and wallets are made such that the artist of the record and other features make up a large part of the new product's appeal. By carefully melting the vinyl record over a pattern mold, the record takes on a seamless new shape with an entirely new application. Other products such as earrings, necklaces, and silhouettes are made by cutting the vinyl instead of melting. These tend to use less of the original record's design, but are still recognizable as recycled vinyl records.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Adam Hammer (CC-By 2.0)
