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Fri 18 September 2009

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PVC Alternatives

Up until now I have left publishing on the blog to Mark, and I am sure you will agree that he has done an awesome job. I have had a nagging question/quandary regarding alternatives to PVC and Mark suggested I put it up on the blog to see what suggestions people may have. Poly vinyl chloride (PVC) is a very useful substance but virtually unrecyclable, despite its labelling, (please correct me if I'm wrong) and its manufacture is a health hazard for the environment as well as the people who have to work with it. For more info on this see www.bluevinyl.org , it's a real eye-opener! PVC
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So naturally I started looking at alternatives. ABS plastic which is recyclable and as easy to work with as PVC, does not have all the required fittings here in Australia. It is used mainly in the US. HDPE is recyclable but triple the cost of PVC and adds 60% to the labour cost as it is harder to install. It is also not approved for use where it is exposed to sunlight. For the rainwater collection we're using zinc-allum/colorbond so that is not an issue. It's just the waste water. Should any of you have a suggestion or solution that is cost-effective, I'd love to hear. Thanks.

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