MOU Signed on the 17th for PVC Waste Wallpaper Recycling Pilot Project in Hwaseong City
Waste Wallpaper Collection → Separation of PVC and Paper → Production of Recycled PVC
Establishment of a Resource Circulation System
Priority Implementation Targeting About 8 Apartment Complexes in Hwaseong City
Future Expansion Considered for Entire Hwaseong City
[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] LG Chem is partnering with local governments and small and medium-sized enterprises to launch a pilot project for recycling PVC waste wallpaper (silk wallpaper).
On the 17th, LG Chem signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hwaseong City and Seongji Co., Ltd. to establish a system for separate collection, pickup, and recycling of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) waste wallpaper. They agreed to actively cooperate in laying the institutional foundation for creating a sustainable resource circulation society. PVC is a representative general-purpose plastic with excellent insulation performance and durability, used as a raw material in various product groups such as windows, pipes, flooring, electrical wires, and wallpaper.
This collaboration is expected to open a new path for recycling PVC waste wallpaper, which is typically classified as general waste and discarded. Currently, silk wallpaper used in most households is a valuable resource that can be recycled as a raw material, but due to the lack of a collection system and being mixed with other materials when disposed of, it is entirely incinerated.
Hwaseong City will promote citizen awareness, education, and policy establishment to encourage proper separate disposal of PVC waste wallpaper. It will collect waste wallpaper generated in apartment complexes, store it at Hwaseong City's resource recovery facility, and then hand it over to the recycling company Seongji Co., Ltd.
Seongji Co., Ltd., with over 20 years of recycling experience and technology, will separate the paper layer and PVC coating layer of the collected waste wallpaper and remove various foreign substances. The paper powder will be used as raw materials for paper molds and egg cartons, while the PVC coating layer will be supplied to LG Chem.
LG Chem plans to receive the PVC coating layer, apply its proprietary physical property enhancement formulations and compounding technology to produce high-purity PVC, and apply it to various product groups such as flooring, accelerating the expansion of the recycling market and entry into new markets.
This pilot project will be initially conducted in about eight apartment complexes that expressed willingness to participate in a demand survey conducted in Hwaseong City, and depending on the progress of the pilot project, expansion to the entire Hwaseong City area will be considered.
Meanwhile, the signing ceremony held at Hwaseong City Environmental Office was attended by Park Mincheol, Director of Hwaseong City Environmental Office; Hwang Youngshin, Head of LG Chem PVC/Plasticizer Division; Moon Jongkyung, CEO of Seongji Co., Ltd.; and other officials.
Park Mincheol, Director of Hwaseong City Environmental Office, said, "With this agreement, we hope to establish a virtuous cycle system where PVC waste wallpaper, previously recognized only as waste, is reborn as a valuable resource, marking the first step toward Hwaseong City becoming a leading city in resource circulation."
Moon Jongkyung, CEO of Seongji Co., Ltd., said, "We will actively strive to protect the environment and develop resource recycling technologies through the resource recovery of PVC waste wallpaper."
Hwang Youngshin, Head of LG Chem PVC/Plasticizer Division, said, "Starting with this pilot project with local governments, we will continue to expand eco-friendly technologies and application fields that enable waste plastic resources, which are incinerated or discarded in daily life, to be circulated."
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