Westlake Global Compounds and Westlake Dimex, subsidiaries of Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK), have announced the launch of the “Choose Pink” pilot program, a pioneering PVC recycling initiative in collaboration with Houston Methodist. This program is the first of its kind within Houston’s healthcare system and will be implemented at the Outpatient Center (OPC) of Houston Methodist Hospital, the institution’s flagship location in the Texas Medical Center.
The Choose Pink program aims to create a recycling collection system for post-patient PVC items, such as nasal cannulas, masks, oxygen tubing, and saline bags, typically discarded in hospital settings. These items will be collected in designated containers to streamline the recycling process, minimizing the need for additional sorting. Once collected, the materials will be transported to a Houston Methodist warehouse, loaded onto a semi-trailer, and sent to Westlake Dimex’s Marietta, Ohio facility for recycling.
“This pilot program offers a significant opportunity for our clinical team to divert substantial amounts of PVC material from landfills,” said Jason Fischer, Director of the Office of Sustainability at Houston Methodist. “Our commitment to improving lives extends to environmental stewardship, and we are excited to enhance our sustainability efforts through this new recycling initiative.”
PVC is a versatile material widely used in healthcare for over 70 years. By recycling single-use PVC medical items, the program aims to reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint and prevent waste from ending up in landfills.
“We are excited to partner with Houston Methodist on this innovative program to recycle post-patient PVC materials and transform them into durable consumer products,” said Andy Antil, General Manager of Westlake Dimex. “Once a truckload of Choose Pink PVC is collected, it will be processed at our Marietta facility and converted into new products such as commercial matting, exercise equipment mats, dock edging, and cord protectors.”
Houston Methodist will be the first healthcare facility in the Houston area to implement a PVC recycling program. Similar initiatives have been successfully launched in other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium, Guatemala, and the United Kingdom, as well as in cities such as Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago, and Rochester. According to the Vinyl Institute, 1.1 billion pounds of vinyl are recycled annually in North America, reducing the carbon footprint and keeping waste out of landfills.
Westlake Dimex, one of the largest U.S. processors of post-industrial resins with a capacity exceeding 100 million pounds annually, will process the recycled PVC into a variety of products, including office chair matting, garden edging, marine dock edging, masonry control joints, and industrial matting.
