The list of reasons why you should choose vinyl siding for your home’s exterior is simple: It’s long-lasting, low-maintenance, and less expensive. While many homeowners are aware of these advantages, many are unaware of the environmental benefits of vinyl siding. The vinyl siding business has employed in-house recycling ways to reduce waste since the 1970s. This means less waste will end up in landfills, and the environment will be cleaner.
Siding Myths
Siding is still viewed by far too many people as a “throw-away” plastic. Vinyl is a tough thermoplastic that is quite unique. Thermoplastic was designed to be recycled. That’s what “thermo” means: this form of plastic was created using components that can be reground and reprocessed into another thermoplastic.
Furthermore, for the past 40 years, any unwanted or outdated vinyl siding has been regrinded. Vinyl siding manufacture produces little to no post-manufacturing waste, according to the Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI). In fact, according to the VSI, the vinyl sector contributed less than 1% of all municipal solid garbage in the United States in 2012.
Vinyl Is Long-Lasting
The Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) software developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) measures the life cycles of several types of external housing cladding. According to their calculations, the life cycle of vinyl siding is three times that of brick and two times that of fiber cement siding. Furthermore, vinyl has a lower ecological toxicity rating and has a lower influence on global warming than those two materials.
The fact that vinyl siding has a lower impact on human health than brick and mortar or fiber cement adds to the environmental argument for it. Vinyl siding also emits significantly fewer contaminants throughout the production process than other cladding solutions.
Vinyl siding is a winning and smart choice for sprucing up the exterior of your home since it is longer lasting, has outstanding curb appeal, and is better for the environment.