Construction Plastics Initiative transforms construction waste into innovative building materials
Two major construction projects in Vancouver have signed on to reduce plastic waste
Light House is an organization focused on advancing circular practices in the built environment and has recently launched its Construction Plastics Initiative, which seeks to capture, divert, and upcycle plastics waste from Metro Vancouver construction sites. Now, the program has two new construction project partners; the Freedom Mobile Arch in Vancouver, with general contractor EllisDon Corporation, and the Steveston Community Centre in Richmond, with general contractor Scott Construction.
All plastic waste collected from projects involved in the Construction Plastics Initiative is processed by Langley Plastics into a reusable plastic pellet, which is then integrated into the manufacturing of a range of new building products.
Reincorporating plastics into new construction materials
InfinaNet is a proprietary concrete void system that displaces concrete in multi-unit residential slab floors, reducing the amount of concrete required. This innovation not only lightens floor weight but also minimizes the need for large load-bearing supports. By incorporating repurposed construction plastics, InfinaNet also decreases the need for virgin plastic in its product, aligning with the principles of a circular economy; turning waste plastic into a valuable resource.
The Construction Plastics Initiative not only helps contractors reduce material use and embodied carbon, but it also prepares participating contractors for the federal government's upcoming plastics registry reporting requirements in 2026.
The project requires a dedicated collaborative approach
"For all construction projects involved in our Construction Plastics Initiative, all plastics that arrive on site are kept separate from other construction materials and then sent to a plastics processor where they are extruded into a plastic pellet," Gil Yaron, managing director of circular innovation, Light House. "The pellet is then sold to a Plascon Plastics who blends the pellets in with other resins to manufacture innovative building products like InfinaNet by Infina Technologies Inc."
"Partnering with the Construction Plastics Initiative on our Freedom Mobile Arch project is just one way we're ensuring that sustainable practices persist at the heart of both our core values as well as the venue's redevelopment," said Daniel Molnar, BC regional environmental manager with EllisDon. "After products — for instance here, much of the wood for the timber arch, are manufactured, they're typically wrapped in protective plastic packaging before delivery to the construction site, and that plastic wrap then ends up in landfills. Through the support of this initiative, we're able to shake up that process, and strive to demonstrate the feasibility of circular economics in the construction environment, to help make positive changes in the ways we build, moving forward."
Scott Construction has joined the initiative with their Steveston Community Centre and Library project in Richmond. "This is an initiative we're proud to participate in, especially because it allows us to bring sustainable building practices to the forefront," said Trenton Berger, project director, Scott Construction. "Through our partnership with the Construction Plastics Initiative, we're ensuring that we're diverting and upcycling plastic construction waste that is generated in the development of the Steveston Community Centre, helping to reduce, divert, and upcycle plastic in construction. This is an important step in responsible construction practices, where keeping materials recirculating in the economy is integral to how we build."
