Earth Day 2021: 8+ Million Pounds of Waste Recycled at DaVinci Roofscapes

Net zero landfill scrap achieved.

Marking the company’s ninth year of dedicated recycling efforts, DaVinci Roofscapes has now reprocessed more than 8,000,000 pounds of polymer scrap materials. The announcement comes in conjunction with Earth Day 2021, a focus on restoring our earth.

“In 2020 alone we reprocessed more than 1.1 million pounds of scrap materials,” says Bryan Ward, vice president of operations at DaVinci Roofscapes in Lenexa, Kansas. “This recycled polymer product went into the making of slate and shake starter shingles and other accessory parts for our customers’ homes.”

The DaVinci Roofscapes facility has achieved net zero landfill scrap for four consecutive years. Every pound of scrap generated by the company’s expansive manufacturing operations goes into repurposed product.

“This is our way of life,” says Ward. “We continuously invest in green initiatives from both a personnel and capital expenditures standpoint. We’re particularly pleased that our process engineers have developed innovative tooling to mold accessory parts that use only our reprocessed scrap.”

Where does polymer scrap come from?

A manufacturer of both polymer roofing and siding tiles, DaVinci Roofscapes uses virgin resins to make their products. An industry leader in color offerings, the company has 27 unique color blends and more than 50 stock colors.

“After we finish ‘running’ a color of product, there’s a transitioning period between colors,” says Ward. “Those transition tiles are ‘off spec’ and cannot be used.”

The transition tiles are carefully pulled off the product line and segregated into specifically colored scrap bins by employees. The tiles are then ground up and repurposed into starter tiles, which are generally not seen on a roof.

“This is a true win-win for our company and the environment,” says Ward. “With 100 percent of our materials being used or reused, we have net zero landfill scrap.”

Zero waste at DaVinci

DaVinci slate and shake tiles are made of virgin resins, UV and thermal stabilizers. A highly-specialized fire retardant is added to the mix, making them fire-resistant. DaVinci products are warranted to last for decades on homes and commercial projects. However, after their lifespan, they are also 100 percent recyclable.

“We always stop each year to mark Earth Day on April 22,” says Ward. “It’s a time to reflect on all the positive accomplishments our team achieves every day at our facility. Imagine what eight million pounds of scrap polymer would look like in a landfill. It’s mind boggling to imagine we have repurposed such a vast amount of waste product.

“It’s a significant part of our ongoing legacy at DaVinci that we have developed the processes to completely eliminate waste from our operations. This is definitely a source of both pride and awe at our company.”

About DaVinci Roofscapes

DaVinci Roofscapes, a Westlake company, leads the composite roofing industry in the greatest selection of colors, tile thickness and tile width variety. The company’s reliable products have a lifetime limited materials warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. All DaVinci high-performing roofing and siding products are proudly made in America. The experienced team members at DaVinci Roofscapes develop and manufacture industry-leading composite slate and shake roofing and siding systems with an authentic look and superior performance. For information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.