by Rebecca Walker — February 9, 2011—In a real-world demonstration of closed-loop recycling, Sika Sarnafil announced it has completed what it says is the largest vinyl roofing recycling project in North America, at a General Motors Customer Care & Aftersales building in Lansing, Michigan.
This extensive project involved the reroofing of 475,000 square feet of roof and nearly 1,000,000 square feet of recycled vinyl roofing membrane, and was conducted in two phases over a two-year period. The old vinyl membrane removed in Lansing during phase one was reprocessed and later used in the manufacture of new vinyl membrane. Some of the new vinyl membrane installed at the GM facility during phase two contained recycled vinyl recovered from phase one.
The project was part of GM’s Landfill-Free plant program, which calls for reusing or recycling all waste materials. Currently, GM has 74 manufacturing plants across the globe that do not send waste to landfills. On average, more than 97 percent of waste materials from these plants are recycled or reused and about 3 percent is converted to energy at waste-to-energy facilities.
Sika Sarnafil’s energy-efficient vinyl roof membrane was installed during both phases to provide the facility with watertight protection. The membrane’s white surface reflects the sun’s rays to decrease heat flow through the building envelope and, consequently, reduces the energy consumption required for building air-conditioning.
For more information about Sika Sarnafil in the U.S., see the Web site.
