PEPA’s Revinalize seeks collection sites and recyclers as program eyes New England expansion

Alex Fernandez, vice president for government affairs at the Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA), presented Revinalize, a five‑year initiative to collect and recycle post‑consumer rigid polymeric exterior products including vinyl siding, trim, decking and pipe.

Fernandez described the program’s logistics model: collection bins, third‑party verification (GreenCircle) for data integrity, promotion and matchmaking between collectors and end‑market recyclers. He said the program met a goal of collecting 5 million pounds of material and estimated roughly 300 million pounds per year of vinyl siding alone are available for recycling nationally.

A field video highlighted a Habitat for Humanity pilot in New Orleans where siding removed during rehabs was sent to a recycler and reprocessed. Fernandez requested that MassDEP stakeholders consider serving as collection sites or identifying regional recyclers; he said an end market near Boston is expected by early next year.