End-of-Life, Recycling and Upcycling of Our Products
FPO membrane offcuts can be recycled by returning them to the manufacturing process to be used instead of raw materials. If, however, the membranes have become contaminated by external agents during their serviceable life, then the membranes can be downcycled into other products .
When PVC membranes are upcycled, they can be processed and reintroduced into a manufacturing stream where they are typically converted into other components such as walkway membrane and protection or separation layers for roof systems.
Recycling end of life
bitumen membranes from a roof is a real challenge for all manufacturers because the membranes are made up of different constituents that together create a mixed waste which is currently non-recyclable.
Though energy can be generated through incineration of bitumen membranes at end of life, though the availability of suitable facilities is limited.
Our approach is to overlay an existing roof wherever possible so that the existing system doesn’t have to go to landfill. Our moisture mapping technical diagnostic test, pinpoints the presence of dampness within the roof structure to depths of 300mm and is currently the only reliable way to test underlying sections of multiple layer roof systems for trapped water.
The results are delivered as a topographical map which can be analysed to identify precisely which areas of a roof need replacing and which areas are sound enough to install another solution over the top.
The durability of hot melt waterproofing is such that there is no need to replace the product during the roof's expected life, giving excellent life-cycle costings.
Bauder is active within the PU Europe organisation which is the voice of the polyurethane insulation industry contributing to the political and technical decisions in areas such as energy efficiency, sustainable construction, and health and environment.
Alliances with other forward thinking companies has resulted in innovative recycling opportunities, so that our PIR insulation manufacturing facilities readily recycle and upcycle offcuts and fragments for use in hand cleaners as well as for the manufacture of decking boards.
The expanded polystyrene (EPS) scrap from the manufacturing process is reintroduced back into making our EPS insulation boards to keep waste to a minimum. When it is not used to make more EPS, foam scrap can be turned into a variety of products such as clothes hangers, park benches, flower pots, toys, rulers and seedling containers.
Our green roof components are themselves made from recycled content and at the end of their life, they too can be returned to their originating recycling process to be converted again into other products and components.
To give an example, our water retention and drainage layers DSE20, DSE40, DSE60 and Attenuation Cell 100 are made from recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE), a plastic polymer with flexible properties, that continues to be commonly recycled or downcycled into other durable plastic products.
In Europe, solar panel disposal falls under the European Union’s Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive and is strictly regulated. Our module supply partners are all members of PV Cycle framework which is a not-for-profit association managing a fully operational collection and recycling scheme for end-of-life photovoltaic modules.
BauderSOLAR
The individual components of the BauderSOLAR flat roof system are single-origin and can be individually removed and completely recycled. The main support structure and locking pin are made from plastic category 05 Polypropylene and is widely recycled; with the base plate, bayonet fitting and module clamp all from plastic category 07 Polyamide which is recycled into plastic timber and other custom-made products.
Bauder BioSOLAR
The mounting boards for the BioSOLAR system that provides the water retention and drainage layer for the vegetation beneath the array are made from HDPE which is widely recycled. The support system for the Bauder BioSOLAR system is made from aluminium; the arms, support rails and clamps can be recycled by melting down and reforming the metal without losing quality.