Cooperative in Cuba turns plastic waste into lumber

[El Presidente]

I love a good news story 

 

 

https://america.cgtn.com/2019/08/25/cooperative-in-cuba-turns-plastic-waste-into-lumber

Cooperative in Cuba turns plastic waste into lumber

Luis Chirino

@FromHavana

 

Published August 25, 2019 at 3:39 PM

Like other countries, Cuba is dealing with plastic pollution that has washed up on its beach shores and river basins.
A group of industrious people in western Matanzas province, some 100 kilometers from Havana, is collecting and recycling plastic waste. They are members of the cooperative A-3, which produces plastic lumber from recycled plastic waste.

CGTN’s Luis Chirino met with cooperative president Jose Antonio Soto at a cultural center on the Bay of Matanzas, where the employees are building a plastic wood platform.

Soto said,“The cooperative is a more advanced kind of society-oriented work. I say this because each one of us is aware of the impact of our work on society, the environment and our own families.”

Following collection and classification, all plastic pieces go to the milling machine, and eventually shaped into plastic lumber.

Main plastic wood products of A-3 include benches for public areas, pergolas, walkways, trash baskets and others commercialized at the local market, particularly in recreational and tourist facilities.

Soto said, “What makes our products unique is that they are all made from plastic waste. Unlike other producers we do not use raw materials.”

In tourist centers in Matanzas, including the popular Varadero Beach, former cement benches have been replaced with others made from plastic lumber.

A-3 hopes that its environmental work will help reduce plastic pollution in the country as it continues to produce ecological products made from plastic waste.

[Corylax18]

Very cool, thanks for posting. We call it "Trex" here in the states, I think they're the brand that has a monopoly on production here. I was actually talking to a family friend a few weeks ago that Owns/Operates a deck building company in Northern New Jersey. They are the #2 wholesaler of the product in the country, but didn't install a single board foot of the stuff 10 years ago. Apparently people prefer it about 8 or 9 to 1 over real wood these days. Lasts longer, lower maintenance(no yearly sanding/re staining) and No Splinters!!