Success in an Australian trial to recover plastic pipe for recycling from construction and demolition waste is likely to lead to a continuing program at Sydney Recycling Centers' five sites.
The Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia Ltd. conducted the trial at one of the sites for three months and collected three 4,450-gallon bins of predominantly PVC and polyethylene pipe and small amounts of polybutylene and polypropylene.
A focus of the trial was to check the quality and quantity of recovered plastic.
``Many pipes recovered were relatively new. It is likely the sources are site sheds and temporary plumbing works. There was very little foreign material, such as metal brackets and self-tapping screws. The main contaminants were dust and dirt,'' a report on the trial said.
An excavator with a grab attachment removed pipe from mixed-waste loads and site operators were able to easily integrate the plastic extraction into their daily tasks, the report said.
The bins were transported to Iplex Pipelines Australia Pty. Ltd., where 5,545 pounds of PVC was stockpiled for reprocessing and 2,400 pounds of PE was reprocessed into salable pellets.
Sydney Recycling Centers now will consider expanding the program to all its demolition and construction sites, the report said.