Alan Whittle, Nigel Jones and Mark Heathcote
Papers # 2012 Barcelona
PVC has been used successfully for sewer and sanitary drainage pipes in Australia for over 40 years. It is the predominant material for these applications. The reason for this success is the superior, all round performance of PVC piping systems compared to the various alternatives. Equally important has been the ability and readiness of the PVC pipe and fittings industry to adopt new technology and design features relevant to the Australian environment, to invest in new production equipment and expand the product range. The use of material efficient pipe constructions and the ability to use the core of PVC sandwich construction pipes as a sink for the recycling of PVC from a variety of sources has led to an enhanced sustainability status of PVC sewer pipe. This, along with other environmental aspects such as low embodied energy, makes PVC the most sustainable material for sewer applications in Australia.