DuPont and WM launch recycling program for Tyvek

DuPont Nonwovens and Waste Management launched a national mail-in recycling program to capture banners, envelopes and other items printed on DuPont Tyvek®. This would provide a method for printers and other large volume users of printed products who are looking for a responsible and simple alternative to adding Tyvek to the nation’s landfills.

Once recycled, Tyvek items will be repurposed for other products such as decking, playground equipment and corrugated pipes. The program answers a growing need for the return of printed wide-format materials including signs, banners and posters, as well as envelopes, wristbands and racing bibs into existing recycle streams. For more information on ordering recycling kits, visit www.recycletyvek.wm.com.

The program also allows DuPont’s customers to track on-line what they have ordered, the weight of each package that was returned and an aggregate total for each year.

“Tyvek is a unique, recyclable product made of high-density polyethylene that can be reused in many ways,” said Carolyn Burns, marketing manager – DuPont Nonwovens.

For more than 20 years, DuPont has had a program in place to capture and recycle Tyvek envelopes at its plant in Richmond, Virginia, and recycles approximately 50,000 pounds annually at the site.

The Waste Management alliance will allow DuPont to expand the program in the United States and make it easier for customers to recycle their used banners, envelopes and other products.

Tyvek is made from 100 percent recyclable polyethylene.