Thermoplastic Road Bridge Made from Recycled Plastics

09 December 2011 Welsh polymer specialist, Vertech has completed a 90 foot (27.5 metre) Thermoplastic road bridge suitable for heavy goods vehicles made from 50 tonnes of waste plastic. The bridge, spans the River Tweed at Easter Dawyck in Peeblesshire and forms part of the historic John Buchan Way. The company said that it was built off-site and assembled in 4 days by a team from Glendinning Groundworks Ltd, a local Peeblesshire contractor, and 10 Field Squardron (Air Support), Royal Engineers. Bridge components were manufactured and assembled by Axion International, U.S. license holders for the technology. According to Vertech it intends to demonstrate the significant engineering properties of its recycled materials for use in the European construction sector - particularly as a replacement for less environmentally sound engineered timber and laminated products. The company said that it is a relatively new start-up and that in 2012 it plans to open a manufacturing facility in North Wales to manufacture its thermoplastic composite materials for the European Market. Vertech said that it will also be manufacturing sheet materials using the same technology for use by the European construction sector as a replacement for plywood, MDF and laminates. On this project the company partnered with agricultural and forestry business Dawyck Estates, specialist bridge designer Cass Hayward, Cardiff University's School of Engineering, Rutgers University's AAMIPP department and Axion International - with support from the Welsh Assembly Government. Professor Robert Lark Deputy Director Cardiff University School of Engineering said: "This initiative has the potential to deliver durable, low maintenance alternatives to traditional structures manufactured from recycled waste, the benefits of which should be far reaching both economically, socially and environmentally." William Mainwaring, co-founder and CEO of Vertech added, "We shouldn't be sending so much of the UK's waste plastic to landfill nor should we be shipping it to China. With this unique technology we can now recycle it ourselves to produce increasingly sought after high quality and sustainable construction materials for the European market." Read More Recycled Plastic Film Industry Set for Take Off Full scale commercial recycling of waste plastic film wastes could be realised within four years, following the successful outcome of recent feasibility trials. Microwave Ready Packaging As product and packaging manufacturers seek to shrink and lighten materials one item that's increasingly taking the market by storm is laminated packing. Research has been published into a Microwave Induced Pyrolysis technology that promises to recover both energy and materials from such packaging. UK's Largest PVC-U Recycling Facility Opened UK based window supplier, Eurocell has opened of a new £3 million PVC-U recycling plant in Ilkeston, Derbyshire to process up to 12,000 end-of-life window frames per week. Free Magazine Subscription Free Email Newsletter