Our world was introduced to plastic in the late 1800s but didn’t gain mass popularity until the 1960s when Gustaf Thulin Sten perfected the invention of the plastic bag. Over the last 60 years, plastics and composites have become commonplace in our everyday lives and can be found in almost everything; it’s so common that it’s almost easier to list where it’s not.
But what happens to all that plastic when it’s no longer needed? I know what you’re thinking – it’s recycled, right? According to a study by National Geographic, a staggering 91 percent of all plastic never gets recycled. Every year the EPA estimates the U.S. contributes roughly 146 million tons of waste to landfills. By the year 2050, worldwide municipal waste is estimated to increase by over 70 percent to 3.7 billion tons.
Is our planet in serious trouble? Are we doomed to keep repeating the trend of landfilling our garbage only to run out of room eventually? It’s a reality that we can’t ignore anymore; we need to begin reversing the cycle with a sustainable solution.
What options do we have to prevent un-recyclable waste from being landfilled? The answer, unfortunately, is minimal.
Today’s traditional building products are in high demand, expensive, and require natural resources to manufacture. The ever-growing need for new infrastructure only increases this demand. Our planet desperately needs a better way to build without the constant use of mines, trees, and other unsustainable resources.
What if you could use a product that not only keeps waste from being landfilled but it lasts longer and outperforms the industry-leading concrete counterpart? Comtrusion technology by AIS creates opportunities in composite materials never before seen in the plastics industry.
What are comtrusion products, and why can they make a difference? AIS’s process takes glass, plastics, and other waste materials that were once thought to be un-recyclable and transforms them into something beneficial. Our comtrusion technology not only looks good, as it can be shaped, colored, and textured to meet consumer demand, but its structural integrity is what makes it truly unique.
Whether you’re constructing a house, a high-rise, or a retaining wall, these projects require materials to be completed. Creating long-lasting composite products with superior compression strength and loading bearing capabilities (without the need for reinforcement) has more construction applications than we can count.
AIS’s comtrusion technology provides the tools needed to make communities, businesses, and municipalities promote a zero waste initiative; while building a foundation to create educational and career opportunities for generations to come.
