Recycled Content in Infrastructure Projects Virtual Event a Success

On Monday and Tuesday, November 16 and 17, NRRA presented about using processed glass aggregate in infrastructure projects at the virtual event "Increasing the Use of Recycled Content in Infrastructure Projects."  Over 85 people joined for two afternoons to learn about using processed glass aggregate, plastic corrugated drainage pipes with recycled content, ground asphalt, crumb rubber in roads and other infrastructure projects, and more.  

Processed Glass Aggregate (PGA)

NRRA Executive Director Reagan Bissonnette was joined by Brian Patnoe, NRRA Board Member & Littleton NH Transfer Station Manager, and NRRA members Bob Harrington, Public Works Director and John Early, Transfer Station Supervisor, of New London, NH to talk about NRRA's PGA program.  Reagan shared the process for creating PGA, the various New England state specifications for using PGA, the benefits of using PGA, the results of a PGA survey that gathered examples of PGA use throughout the Northeast, and NRRA's brand new glass recycling story map and PGA video.  Brian Patnoe shared his experience using PGA in Littleton, NH, and Bob Harrington and John Early talked about their experience using PGA in New London, NH.  Both locations are also PGA host sites for NRRA's program.  

Plastic Pipes, Ground Asphalt and Crumb Rubber

Plastic corrugated drainage pipes with recycled content: Joe Babcanec of Advanced Drainage Systems shared that ADS bought 29% of all the colored recycled HDPE plastic in the US in 2019.  ADS uses both post-consumer and post-industrial colored and natural HDPE to make their recycled drainage pipes. 

Ground asphalt for roads: Rick Bradbury, Director, Materials Testing & Exploration at MaineDOT, shared his experience using ground asphalt in roads in Maine.  Did you know that 94% of asphalt mixture was reclaimed from old asphalt pavements and put back into use in new pavements in the US in 2019, according to the National Asphalt Paving Association? 

Use of crumb rubber in roads: Edmund Naras, Pavement Management Engineer at MassDOT, discussed his extensive experience using crumb rubber at MassDOT, which he was recently told is the third largest user of rubber crumb in roads in the country.  

The workshop was provided by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), in partnership with NRRA, MRRA, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Department of Transportation, and the New Hampshire Technology Transfer Center.