Nova Scotia Company Takes Your Discarded Plastic And Turns It Into Lumber
HALIFAX – With summer around the corner, there will be a lot of homeowners completing do-it-yourself projects around the house. Normally, you would use wood products to build a new deck or fix a fence post. But what if you could save a tree by using lumber made of recycled plastic?
An innovative Nova Scotia company, Goodwood Plastic, has spent the last two years turning discarded shopping bags and other waste plastics into lumber. The company, located just outside of Halifax in Fort Ellis, planned to have their grand opening in April, but that was canceled due to Covid-19. Nonetheless, they are open for business.
Goodwood is owned and operated by Dan Chassie and his son Mike. In an earlier career, the duo used to recycle plastic debris that came from construction and demolition sites. For many years they wondered what they could create with the tons of wasted plastic they saw each day.
“We always dealt with plastic that came in from that business in our landfill,” said Mike Chassie. “It was always a nuisance issue. We were originally baling it and selling it.”
Back in 2004 the Chassies bought an extruder machine and began experimenting. But at the time, the two decided there was no viable business model.
“At the time, the overseas markets were paying too much to make it a viable business here. So, it just kinda got shelved,” recalled Chassie.
Fast forward to 2018 and the global situation around plastics changed. China, a major consumer market, decided it was no longer going to import plastics for recycling. The Chassies knew this was their opening after more than a decade.
‘With those markets closing, domestically plastic was going to become a huge problem for just about every jurisdiction,” he said.
Goodwood began using a lot of waste plastics from Halifax and throughout Atlantic Canada. Some of the plastic materials the company had to buy, but much of the material – since it’s waste plastic – arrived on site for free. Sometimes, they can even charge a tipping fee for receiving certain plastics.
The company is also helping in the fight against the plastic waste crisis in the ocean. Goodwood Plastic recently received a grant from DFO worth more than $400,000 to recycle discarded marine rope and net.
Goodwood also receives, from time to time, plastic waste scooped out of the ocean. Recently, a Nova Scotia company out of Mahone Bay recovered ghost fishing equipment from the ocean and gave it to the Chassies to be recycled into lumber.
“Everything that’s used in the water that’s plastic-based we can utilize and make a product that will go back out. So, it’s really cradle-to-the-grave,” said Chassie.
But how does one go about learning the process of turning discarded plastics into lumber?
According to Chassie, it’s something you have to teach yourself. Luckily for the father and son, their combined experience in manufacturing helped them modify their own machinery.
“We taught ourselves actually. There’s not a lot of communication in the plastics industry when it comes to extrusion. Everyone wants to keep their secrets to themselves because they’re creating another competitor otherwise.”
“When you’re dealing with post-consumer materials that have various different elements to them…there is no one machine that can do it all.”
Chassie says people can expect plastic lumber to cost more than wooden lumber; anywhere from 30-60 percent more, depending on the commodity’s market. But, as Chassie points out, plastic has a much longer lifespan than wood and requires less maintenance, meaning consumers can save money in the long run.
“It’s going to outlast wood by at least three to four times. It’s going to have much lower maintenance costs than pressure-treated wood,” he said.
“Wharves, docks, and boardwalks- our material is perfect for stuff like that. It will last way longer; there are no chemical treatments to it and you’ll get a better life out of it.”
Chassie says testing is underway on their material to get government certification for structural use – like building a house or cabin.
Goodwood Plastic has high hopes that governments in Atlantic Canada will see the benefits of using plastic lumber for public projects. Since a lot of infrastructure is built near the ocean, Chassie believes officials should consider using a material that won’t be easily damaged by water.
“If the boardwalk in downtown Halifax needs some replacement…it would be really forward-thinking to take recycled plastic and use that in our boardwalk,” he said.
“The possibilities are endless.”