Plastics from the Steveston Community Centre construction project will be repurposed into new materials through a new initiative.
Scott Construction, the general contractor for the Richmond project, has joined Light House's Construction Plastics Initiative, which repurposes plastics from construction sites across Metro Vancouver.
Launched in 2024, the initiative collects plastic waste from participating projects. Langley Plastics processes this waste into reusable plastic pellets, which are then included in the manufacturing process of new building products, according to Light House.
“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,” said Gil Yaron, managing director of circular innovation at Light House.
“The pellet is then sold to Plascon Plastics who blends the pellets in with other resins to manufacture innovative building products like InfinaNet by Infina Technologies Inc.”
InfinaNet is a specialized product made by mixing plastic into concrete to make multi-unit residential slab floors. This reduced the amount of concrete required, explained Light House.
The Construction Plastics Initiative not only helps contractors reduce material use, but it is also preparing them for the federal government's upcoming plastics registry reporting requirement next year, the company added.
The plastics registry collects data from companies across Canada to monitor and track plastic from the time it is produced to its end of life to address plastic waste and pollution.
Trenton Berger, project director at Scott Construction, said joining the initiative allows them to bring "sustainable building practices to the forefront."
"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," said Berger.
"This is an important step in responsible construction practices, where keeping materials recirculating in the economy is integral to how we build.”
Construction for the 60,350-square-foot Steveston Community Centre is underway and is expected to be completed in 2026.
In 2021, Richmond was one of 15 cities across the country selected for a year-long Canadian Circular Cities and Regions Initiative, aimed at preserving the value of materials throughout their lifecycle.
Since then, the city has adopted a circular city strategy to promote sustainability by maximizing material re-use.
The Construction Plastics Initiative will run until February 2026.
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