The current linear model

Depending on the project, plastics are generated at virtually every stage of a construction or renovation project. The majority of plastics are packaging used to deliver materials on site. The construction sector currently follows a linear model where products are manufactured (some made from various plastic resins), wrapped in plastic packaging and delivered to the construction site. The packaging, excess product and offcuts are co-mingled with other construction waste and landfilled.

Creating a circular model

The Construction Plastics Initiative takes a different approach viewing plastics as a resource that can be preserved and repurposed. Plastics generated on site are kept separate from other construction materials and sent to a plastics processor (Ocean Park Recycling) where they are extruded into a plastic pellet. The extruded pellet is then sold to a local plastics manufacturer (Plascon) who blends the pellets in with other resins to manufacture VoidDeck -- a proprietary building product used in engineering concrete slab floors in multi-unit residential buildings.

VoidDeck displaces concrete in the concrete slab, reducing the amount of concrete required and reducing the weight of the floor, which reduces the size and material requirements for load-bearing supports. This reduces the amount of virgin material required – a central objective of a circular economy – and transforms waste plastic into a valuable material resource in the manufacturing process.