Silicone Rubber
Silicone rubber: a new life cycle for an extraordinary material
Silicone rubber is a material with exceptional properties: strong, stable, durable and incredibly versatile. In recent decades, silicones have established themselves in numerous industrial sectors, thanks to their exceptional physical and chemical stability, inertness, long lifespan and low toxicity. However, the increasing diffusion of this material in numerous industrial sectors also leads to a significant increase in production waste.
In an era in which sustainability is a global priority, transforming this waste into resources represents a crucial challenge that Valli Gestioni Ambientali has decided to face with commitment and innovation.
Our commitment to the End of Waste recovery of silicone rubber
In line with the provisions of Legislative Decree 152/2006 as amended, Valli Gestioni Ambientali has developed over the years an increasingly sustainability-oriented sensibility, raising the reduction of environmental impacts and the enhancement of waste materials to the primary objectives of its business, preferring those actions that minimize the amount of material destined for disposal. An effort that is not only technological, considering the fundamental and delicate repercussions on the regulatory level.
Valli Gestioni Ambientali is authorized to recover pre-consumer silicone rubber waste for the production of silicone rubber End of Waste. The waste, carefully selected from the producers, is recovered in our plant to be reintroduced into the production cycle, for example, for the production of silicone oil.
The process is rigorous and controlled: only silicone rubber free of fluorine, alumina and contaminants, both in vulcanized and unvulcanized form, is allowed, as long as it is collected in separate streams and managed separately. Both vulcanized and non-vulcanized materials are allowed, as long as they are collected and managed in separate streams.
What is the End of Waste?
The concept of End of Waste (EoW), or “End of Waste Status“, introduced by Directive 2008/98/EC as amended, represents a turning point in the sustainable management of materials: it is a process through which waste, subjected to a recovery process, in compliance with precise technical and environmental criteria, loses the status of waste to acquire that of product.
In particular, waste ceases to be waste when it has been subjected to a recovery operation and satisfies all the precise conditions set out in Article 6 of Directive 2008/98/EC, as amended, below:
- the substance and object are intended to be used for specific purposes;
- there is a market or demand for that substance or object;
- the substance or object meets the technical requirements for the specific purposes and complies with existing legislation and standards applicable to products
- the use of the substance or object will not lead to overall negative impacts on the environment or human health.
This approach is the basis of the circular economy and makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact, enhancing what would otherwise be disposed of.
The advantages of recycling and recovery of silicone rubber
The benefits of recycling silicone rubber include:
- reduction of the use of natural resources;
- lower greenhouse gas emissions;
- development of a virtuous circular economy;
- reduction of waste in landfills;
- prevention of environmental crises related to the exhaustion of disposal spaces.
An opportunity for companies
Collaborating with Valli Gestioni Ambientali means transforming a regulatory reference into a real environmental and economic opportunity. We offer qualified technical support, complete document management, transparent process for the approval of silicone rubber waste, ensuring compliance with current regulations and maximum operational efficiency.
Contact us to find out how you can start a collaboration for the recycling of your silicone rubber waste and actively contribute to the transition to a more sustainable economy.
