Improving the impact of resin bound waste on the environment
An introduction to sustainable paving
Resin bound surfacing materials have been installed on many residential and commercial projects since 1997.
To begin with, it was a popular paving option for residential homeowners wanting to spruce up their driveways and offering a full supply and installation service with a full 5-year guarantee. Research and development continued in the industry and it was with extensive laboratory testing with polyurethane resins that established companies knew could take this product to the next level and introduce it to the commercial sectors to ensure public areas walkways, tree surrounds, playgrounds, and car parks would stand the test of time against the more traditionally used hard landscaping materials.
Resin bound surfacing systems are equally suitable for new build and refurbishment projects. Providing a fully permeable hardscape that allows water to drain through, making it fully compliant with Sustainable urban Drainage System (SuDS) standards.
The key features of this highly attractive paving system are,
- Durability – the life span of 25 years use.
- Low maintenance
- Low energy use - material are mixed cold on site
- Its smooth finish – yet with an average slip-resistant 25 PSV
- UV stability – when using a polyurethane resin
Establishing permeable resin bound paving systems as a synonymous high standard and value for money product, a BBA certification is one of many approvals that offers reassurance when deciding to use a hard landscaping material.
We are aware of the impact our waste has on the environment and are fully committed and prepared to take steps in our practices and invest in ways to minimise that impact.
Why we need to reduce single use plastic
Plastic is harming our planet, and rather than using it within our paving systems, which can potentially lead to microplastics being returned into the environment via our waterways. We are fully committed to reducing, and in time eliminating, the amount of plastic we use.
Single use plastic is the biggest culprit with lorry loads of it entering our oceans and landfills every minute. We are determined to lead the resin bound industry in changing this important issue.
The UK resin bound industry is estimated to be around 1,000,000m² per year and growing, not just in the UK but globally. When you consider for every m² of resin bound paving laid, approximately 500g of single use plastic ends up in landfill - that’s a staggering 500,000kg of plastic every year.
The resin aspect of resin bound paving is a 2-part Polyurethane system that, when shipped to the installer is traditionally packaged in two plastic buckets. Given the nature of the product, when the buckets are emptied into the mixer a residue is left making the bucket unsuitable to either reuse or recycle.
Once used, the plastic buckets are stacked and skipped ready for the landfill. So, for an average working week of 500m² of resin bound paving, we could be using as many as 400 buckets per week, which amounts to 16,000 single-use plastic buckets each year.
Here is an example of 1 weeks’ worth of buckets:
Here is an example of a year’s worth of buckets:
Remember these examples are based on just one resin bound company. But if we were to think about the industry as a whole…
Our plan to reduce single use plastic
In line with our commitment, we have designed and manufactured an innovative mobile resin batching machine that we believe will help shape the future of the resin bound industry
Introducing our EcoBatcher - a fully bespoke resin batching machine designed up by our Research and Development Team.
The EcoBatcher has been specifically devised to transport and dispense resin directly on-site, vastly reducing haulage, labour and more importantly eliminating the need for single use plastic buckets.
Running on a 5k generator, the EcoBatcher can be transported to any site in the country in a van. Manoeuvred into place on wheels and linked directly to large containers (IBC’s) filled with resin, this is ultimately what reduces our single use plastic waste. It can be programmed for any weight of resin, and can mix the resins and pump them, directly into a mixer.
In addition, the EcoBatcher is able to formulate and mix the exact resin amount required to be automatically dispensed into a forced action mixer reducing the potential for waste resin.
Those within the industry will know that having four catalyst types and a built-in heating system is a key advantage to ensure the best possible installation – plus the catalyst can be changed at any point during the process.
The EcoBatcher has a built-in analytical panel that keeps track of the amount of resin and mixes used – great for stock control and budgeting. Overall, the hydraulic engineered machine, fine-tuned with pressure gauges and a static mixer head offers the highest quality resin bound paving installation.
A phased reduction of single use plastic
- Our first year using the SureSet EcoBatcher, we reduced the amount of single use plastic buckets by 10,000 - more than five tonnes of plastic not going to landfill.
- Following on, we aim to reduce single use plastic buckets use by 40%.
- then by 65%.
- the end goal is to reduce single use plastic buckets by 90%.
Other environmental benefits of reducing the use of single use plastic
The environmental benefits of using the SureSet EcoBatcher are not limited to the reduction of single use plastic buckets – this innovative machine has a far wider impact that includes (but is not limited to)…
Reducing packaging: single use plastic buckets of resin were previously delivered on pallets and shrink wrapped to ensure the safe delivery of the product to site. The EcoBatcher eliminates the need for all this packaging.
Reducing our carbon footprint: the pallets of single use plastic buckets had to be delivered to us, we, in turn, had to transport them to site.
Reducing the use of skips: eliminating the use of single use plastic buckets for the resin means we don’t need skips; again adding to the reduction of our carbon footprint.
Request the EcoBatcher
The SureSet EcoBatcher is available exclusively to SureSet customers to either purchase or rent. For further details, or request this to be used on a project you are planning, please email [email protected] or call 01985 841 180.
