Abstract
A benefit of thermoplastic pipe materials is that scrap or damaged product can be reprocessed and virtually all in-house waste material is reused in a modern plastics pipe factory. Also there are schemes for recycling scrap generated during installation of new pipes or exhumation of old ones. In the present study, a process of extracting scrap plastics pipes from demolition and construction waste in a major city is described together with the proportion of the most common plastics pipe materials (poly(vinyl chloride) and polyethylene) occurring in the waste. The condition of the recovered pipes and the methods used to turn them into a reusable form is described. While the overall proportion of plastics pipes in the waste stream was very small, the condition of the recovered pipes was such that the pipes could be cleaned, comminuted and reworked. The pilot trial has now been expanded to recycle pipes reclaimed on a regular basis from the demolition and construction waste in the three largest cities in Australia.
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