Don’t Throw That Soap Bottle In The Landfill
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Photo not included (see link above)
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West Liberty's new
thermoplastic Onion Ditch Bridge on Township Road 174, which had its formal
opening May 29, is made of post-consumer recycled material such as detergent
bottles and is the first of its kind in the state.
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…………….Not only is it Ohio’s first thermoplastic bridge, but it is only
the second of its kind in the country. Logan County Engineer Scott Coleman said
the bridge was in need of replacement and he wanted to do something unique to
fill the space. Discussion on how to proceed began in 2009. “We did some
research and got in touch with Green Energy Solutions,” he said. That firm put
the Engineer’s Office in touch with Axion International, which produces plastic
material for construction of bridges and even railroad ties. The project came
with a $325,661 price tag, but after receiving funds from the Innovative Bridge
Research and Deployment Program, about $89,000 in local funds were spent on the
experimental bridge. Construction began in October 2012 and the bridge was
usable two months later. County crews did all the construction to know how to
maintain the structure, according to Coleman. Precise Pile Driving was
contracted to deal with pilings. Coleman is confident in the new material’s
durability. “It’s not susceptible to rot from salt. Moisture shouldn’t be a
problem. It’s resistant to UV rays,” Coleman said. “It’ll last a lot longer
than timber wood … It could serve the community for 150 years,” he added.
Coleman said the material is made entirely of two types of plastic, including
plastic used for detergent bottles. The material is re-purposed into the dense
black material. “Those might otherwise go to landfill……………
Quote from a Timber Tech employee:
“Our locally produced TimberTech product
is made of 51% recycled materials. “In the process of creating decking boards
we use several ingredients which include recycled plastics such as Tide
bottles, etc. This website will give you much more detail about how we
are a green company...”
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