Recycled Resin: The Dawn of a Technology for Transforming into Construction Materials (1994)

Recycled Resin: The Dawn of a Technology for Transforming into Construction Materials (1994)
In Japan in 1994, the rapid increase in the amount of waste plastic and the shortage of landfill sites were emerging as social problems, and the system of mass production and mass disposal was reaching its limits. While more than 8 million tons of waste plastic piled up annually, the Recycling Law of 1991 was enacted, and society took a major turn from discarding to circulating waste. At this turning point, the technology to use recycled resin in the construction field attracted attention. There was a huge demand for construction materials such as roadside trees, revetment materials, and landscape panels, and there were high hopes for an outlet that could accept large quantities of recycled resin.
Resin is suitable as a material for public spaces because it does not rust or corrode, is lightweight, and easy to process. In particular, ZEON's RIM molding technology using DCPD resin can produce large, durable components and has paved the way for the practical application of recycled materials. In Europe and the U.S., waste regulations were being tightened and recycled resins were being used for construction materials, and Japan's movement coincided with international trends.
The 1994 article symbolized a shift in values, in which waste materials are once again being used as new resources to shape the urban landscape. Resin, once discarded, was about to be reborn as a material for building a recycling-oriented society. The budding of this change is strongly marked in the application of recycled resin to construction materials.