Resin reference · Resin code 3
PVC Polyvinyl chloride
PVC pipe & profile — Water pipe, window profile, gutters, cable duct.
- Resin code
- 3
- Density (g/cm³)
- 1,40
- Water test
- Sinks in water
- Accepted form
- Loose
What is PVC
PVC is the only common resin that contains chlorine, and that explains nearly everything about how it is handled. It is cheap, weather-resistant and easy to extrude into pipe or window profile — but the moment it enters a PET or PE stream, the chlorine comes off under heat and contaminates the batch. So PVC is always run as its own stream, never mixed.
How to identify it without equipment
- Sinks in water at around 1.40 g/cm³ — heavier even than PET.
- PVC pipe sounds dull when tapped, not ringing the way PS does.
- Bent hard, it whitens along the crease and stays white.
Everyday items that carry it
- Clean-water and waste pipe
- Window profile and ceiling trim
- Gutters and fascia
- Cable duct and flexible hose
What it becomes after recycling
Ground PVC returns as pipe fittings, vinyl flooring, cable duct and other moulded goods that do not demand uniform colour.
What gets a load of it turned away
- Pipe still holding cement, soil or set solvent glue.
- Hose that carried chemicals, or came out of a medical installation.
- PVC-insulated cable with the copper core still inside.
Holding material of this type?
This page covers how to identify and handle the resin. For questions about volume, form, or visiting the yard, get in touch directly.