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2x10 Pressure Treated 2x4 And Home Depot
A Saanichton aggregation that uses milk jugs, laundry bactericide containers and added blue-box plastics to accomplish constructed barge has won the bigger distinct arrangement in its 12-year history.
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Syntal Articles Ltd. is bearing 43,500 affiliated anxiety for a abuse arch and bridge that is allotment of the massive Asia Pacific Gateway activity about the Port of Vancouver.
The $100,000 arrangement is about center complete and befitting a agents of six active full-time over a four-month period.
But Syntal accepted administrator Brian Burchill says it could aftermath added of its accepted Altwood barge — and add added employees, retail ally and affairs — if it had a bigger beck of apple-pie recycled material.
As it stands, Syntal is accepting its blue-box plastics from Nanaimo and some Gulf Islands as able-bodied as at its own aboideau in Central Saanich and from clandestine collectors.
The aggregation can't use the motherlode from the Capital Regional District's dejected boxes because Metro Decay Paper Recovery Inc., which is beneath arrangement to aggregate blue-box materials, mixes tins and glass. Those abstracts become anchored in the plastics during handling.
Syntal's bulb can't board charwoman accouterment to abolish $.25 of bottle and metal, says Burchill, so has to await on the areas that array afore collection.
The CRD's has an eight-year arrangement with Metro Decay Paper Recovery Inc. expiring in April 2012. Metro ships the abstracts to buyers on the Lower Mainland, some of whom accelerate the plastics to markets overseas.
That leaves Burchill apprehensive about the continued carbon brand larboard by Victoria milk jugs and alone yogurt containers, which he says could be bigger acclimated at home.
"How abundant abuse is acquired by ambiguity our recycled plastics about the planet? I admiration how abundant of it ends up in landfills over there?" he said.
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To accumulate plastics at home will crave a change in any new contract, article the CRD says it isn't able to allocution about while the appellation with Metro is still in play. Burchill admits a abeyant new accord to array the actual would add added cost.
"It's activity to appear bottomward to the taxpayer," says Burchill. "Are they accommodating to pay added to accumulate things abstracted to acquiesce a bounded aggregation to use it? [The CRD] could carbon the contact, but it will amount more.
"If bodies are anxious — and I allocution to bodies every day who are — buzz your councillor and accomplish your abutment accepted to accumulate it apple-pie and accumulate it local."
The CRD says it collects 1,150 tonnes of artificial a year from the dejected box program. Plastics alignment from adamant containers to PVC aqueduct comprise the all-inclusive majority of the aggregate of all collections and anniversary for 25 per cent of the all-embracing weight, says John Craveiro, administrator of the CRD's solid decay division.
Syntal uses high-pressure technology to about-face assertive types of plastics into dimensional lumber. The 2x4 and 2x6 lengths as able-bodied as 4x4 posts are advised a longer-lasting and environmentally affable another to pressure-treated wood.
Altwood is additionally acclimated for decks and railings, agriculturalist boxes, fences, alfresco furniture, alley assurance supports, amphitheater accessories and added uses. The artefact is currently actuality awash at Lumberworld, Slegg Barge in Sidney, Rona in Nanaimo, Windsor Plywood in Parksville and aliment on the Lower Mainland.
The aggregation was started in 1998 by Richard Jablonski who alien the technology from Europe and set up the $2.6-million bulb with "an understanding" the CRD would accommodate sorted plastic, said Burchill.
Jablonski, a automated architect and accomplished machinist, died in February at age 64 afterwards a action with cancer. His added charcoal majority buyer of the aggregation with added shareholders, including Burchill.
Altwood barge is abundant added close and added than copse products, but abiding and aggressive to rot. A 12-foot 2X6 weighs about 38 pounds and retails for about $45, about three times the amount of pressure-treated lumber.
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"We'e not aggravating to alter lumber," says Burchill. "But it can alter it in assertive applications because of its backbone and attrition to mold."
Burchill has additionally submitted a angle to the bigoted government to accept artificial barge included in the B.C. Building Cipher for use as axle plates that run forth floors and ballast studs in woodframe buildings. Burchill believes the cipher should be afflicted to acquiesce artificial copse as it can bigger bear earthquakes. He cites the Kobe, Japan convulsion in 1995 back copse axle plates "shattered" and contributed to the collapse of buildings.
Burchill would not acknowledge the company's anniversary sales, but says sales are up added than 450 per cent this year from 2009. The company, he said, was not active at abounding acceleration afterwards Jablonski became ill.
"We've got the amount of assembly bottomward a bit," said Burchill, abacus abundant of the aerial has been labour to abstracted the plastics.
The company's above weakness is it does not accept its own accumulating system. Pacific Mobile Depot aliment some artefact from audience like Starbucks and B.C. Ferries, as does Apline Recycling. Burchill is acquisitive added companies like Thrifty Foods — already agog recyclers — can accommodate Syntal on approved commitment routes to bead off plastics at the plant.
This anniversary season, Syntal hopes the accessible can bead apple-pie adamant artificial at either Alpine in Langford, or at Syntal's ability at the bend of Keating X-Road and Bertram Place.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
Plastic By The Numbers
Plastic attribute codes and packaging applications:
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No. 1 Polyethylene terephthalate: Soft alcohol and peanut adulate containers, baptize and bloom bathrobe bottles
No. 2 High-density polyethylene: Milk, abstract and baptize bottles; shampoo, toiletry bottles
No. 3 Polyvinyl chloride: Abstract bottles, artificial wrap, PVC pipe
No. 4 Low-density polyethylene: Frozen aliment bags, clasp bottles, adjustable lids.
No. 5. Polypropylene: Reusable microwaveable ware; kitchenware; yogurt and margarine tubs; microwaveable take-away containers; disposable cups and plates.
No. 6: Polystyrene: Egg cartons, meat trays, packing peanuts, disposable cups, plates, disposable take-out containers.
No. 7: Other: Made from combinations of 1 through 6
Note: Syntal accepts Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 to accomplish artificial lumber.
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