Australian composites manufacturer offers a scalable building solution, already established in a pedestrian bridge application, to tackle unprocessedsoft plastics waste.
Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS, Adelaide) announces the development of structural building panels made from glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics, targeted for infrastructure construction. The technology represents 4 years of R&D in partnership with The University of Adelaide (Australia) on a soft plastics recycling optimization project.Thelightweight, high-strength composite panels are claimed to be the first worldwide to be manufactured using post-consumer mixed soft plastics. SIS prefabricated panels can have a structural strength on par with concrete, provide an up to 48% reduction in embodied carbon compared to a concrete panel, and can last well beyond 100 years.SIS notes that a significant portion of soft plastics used in the panels have been sourced from waste stockpiled following the collapse of Australia’s REDcycle soft plastics project with SIS’ technology, providing a scalable solution to government and industry efforts to find alternative sustainable uses for the material waste.The first project to feature a prefabricated structural panel incorporating unprocessed soft plastics is a pedestrian bridge installed at Newenham, MountBarker, in partnership with Mount Barker District Council and South Australian developer Burke Urban. The 7.5 × 3.4-meter bridge contains 70% soft plastics — or the equivalent of 29 standard 240-liter kerbside recycling bins of items — including shopping bags, plastic film and food wrappers.SIS self-funded the development of the panels and aims to ramp up production of the GFRP composite panels in fiscal year 24 and 25.In addition to using post-consumer soft plastics, the company will also begin trials of manufacturing structural panels using wind turbine blades this year. Source：ConpositesWorld
