Canada cleans up construction plastics 

Canadian organisation the Light House plans to recycle plastic scrap from 10 construction sites in the Vancouver area.  

The efforts are part of the Construction Plastics Initiative, a pilot project that is running until February 2026. Plastic waste from sites is being collected, measured, separated and processed in a bid to determine the amount and types of scrap generated by British Columbia’s construction sector. 

Ultimately, it should demonstrate circular economic solutions for diverting and repurposing the plastic into valuable new products.   

Data gaps 

‘Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive studies in North America quantifying the volume of construction plastic waste directed to landfills,’ says Gil Yaron, md of circular innovation for Light House. ‘In Canada right now, virtually all the plastic generated on construction sites is ending up in landfill or being buried onsite.’ 

Meanwhile, studies from Europe suggest approximately 80% of such plastic waste consists of clean packaging materials which can be recycled. 

Yaron hopes the pilot will provide valuable insights into the extent of plastic waste in construction in North America as well as the recycling opportunities.  

Upcycling waste 

Under the scheme, monitoring tools will be delivered to participating sites. Additionally, crews will receive training on separation at source and be provided with appropriate containers and bins as well as scheduled pick-ups.  

Ocean Park Recycling will process the collected plastics into a reusable plastic pellet. The material will benefit the production of a range of new building products. 

Some of the extruded pellet is being sold to local plastics manufacturer Plascon to blend the pellets with other resins to manufacture VoidDeck. This is a proprietary building product used in concrete slab floors in multi-unit residential buildings. 

This means the material will ultimately be ‘upcycled’, Yaron notes.