RECYCLING of GRP MOULDINGS

With today’s environmentally sensitive attitude toward the sustainability of non-organic materials, attention is being focussed on GRP fibreglass mouldings and their End-Of-Life measures.

However, before we look at what happens at the end of a GRP components life, it is well worth noting that GRP mouldings can frequently have a very long life indeed. Harviglass have many components still in service today which were made in the 1960’s, nearly 50 years. Far in excess of most metals and certainly well beyond the ubiquitous THERMO-plastics we use and discard every day. These GRP components show no sign of serious degradation, so the material is a good environmental performer on this basis alone.

But we can’t ignore the fact that being composed of oil-based resins and high-energy produced glassfibre, this material is sometimes not a top choice with the environmentally sensitive, and to be honest, most scrap GRP mouldings have traditionally gone to land fill.

But over recent years the GRP industry, led by the automotive section, has been successfully operating several albeit small schemes whereby GRP components are wholly recycled into resin dust, fillers and glass fibres which are then re-introduced back into the GRP industry in various forms. Fibrous granules are also being produced from simply grinding up old mouldings to produce excellent high strength additives to concrete and road building materials. So although we are not quite there yet, great strides are being made to make GRP’s green credentials much more acceptable.

Technology is also bringing new organic and ceramic raw materials to the industry. New non-oil based ceramic resins are being developed and organic fibres such as hemp are also beginning to be seriously trialled. As ever, Harviglass will be at the forefront of forging the future in this new age