Author(s): A Marangoni
The competitiveness of plastic pipes vs. non plastic pipes for water and sewer networks relies on both a superior performance to cost ratio and environmental benefits that can be offered to the utility industry, across the whole lifecycle of these networks. In order to help the European pipe network owners in selecting most cost-efficient pipe materials, lifecycle cost data comparing PVC-U vs. non plastic pipe materials have been regularly generated and updated since the late 2000’s. These data have been generated using the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) tool, an analysis meant to uncover all the lifetime costs that follow from owning certain kinds of assets. These analyses consider the costs to purchase pipes, install, operate, maintain and dismantle the pipeline. Significant benefits have been evidenced for PVC-U in both the water and the sewer networks. The analyses have demonstrated that the removal and landfilling of PVC-U pipes after use is a significant TCO contributor. The cost benefits of PVC pipe recycling vs. other end of life scenarios (landfilling, incineration) have been estimated in monetary terms, using the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) methodology defined by the OECD, and applied on PVC pipes used in water and sewer networks in Germany and Italy.
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