TORONTO – July 2, 2024 – It’s Plastic Free July! The Plastics Pathway, an initiative of Pollution Probe, the Toronto Zoo and GreenMantra Technologies, has reached another important milestone with the paving of a section of the on-site path using asphalt containing materials produced from recycled plastic. The 470 m2 of newly paved pathway showcases an innovative circular solution for plastic, incorporating the equivalent of 100,000 plastic bags worth of post-consumer recycled plastic material. Mixing the asphalt with GreenMantra’s innovative, specialty polymer contributes to a reduction in the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfill, while increasing the durability of the pavement and extending its life.
Paving was made possible through a collaborative effort of the project partners, Green Infrastructure Partners Inc. (GIP), who formulated the recycled material and asphalt, and Vaughan Paving, who laid the asphalt on-site at the Toronto Zoo. Traditionally, asphalt relies on a mix of stone, sand, gravel, and bitumen that can break down from Canada’s harsh climate and heavy traffic. Making use of GreenMantra’s Ceranovus® waxes will not only enhance the performance of the asphalt but the waxes are certified as 100% recycled content, produced from waste plastic including film, milk jugs, food containers, and grocery bags.
“We are incredibly excited about this new element of the Plastics Pathway as it showcases Canadian innovation and collaboration in finding feasible circular solutions for plastic,” says Christopher Hilkene, Chief Executive Officer at Pollution Probe. “Infusing the pathway at the Zoo with GreenMantra’s product and asphalt formulated by GIP demonstrates that hard-to-recycle plastics can be given a new life that keeps them in the economy and out of landfills and the environment.”
“An important role of your Toronto Zoo is sharing new ways of supporting conservation to our 1.3 million guests per year. Working with partners like Pollution Probe to install asphalt infused with recycled materials to the Plastics Pathway is a great example of how our team builds community literacy on new technology and approaches to improve our sustainability. Projects like this also help demonstrate solutions which are viable and applicable at a large scale,” says Dolf DeJong, CEO at Toronto Zoo. “By incorporating recycled plastics into our pathway, we are highlighting a new path to address challenging-to-recycle plastics, a pivotal step to address this ongoing waste challenge.”
“Being green starts with thinking green. And every step counts,” says GIP’s Steven Manolis, Executive Vice President, Materials Engineering. “This project should inspire all of us to reimagine how infrastructure can help make the world sustainable. Engineering high-performance, long-lasting infrastructure with recycled materials is truly a great approach to sustainability. If this approach was widely adopted, even small projects like Toronto’s bike lanes could keep hundreds of millions of plastic bags from landfills.”
“We are thrilled to see the next phase of the Plastics Pathway come to life. One of the important parts of this initiative for us is showcasing how waste plastics, when they’re converted into additives, can not only increase sustainability but also add value and performance to an asphalt pavement,” says Domenic Di Mondo, President at GreenMantra Technologies. “Pathways are the arteries that connect cities, businesses, and people across the globe. Partnerships like this one are critical to educating people on the innovative solutions to the waste plastic crisis that are available both locally and globally.”
Made possible with support from the Province of Ontario, the Plastics Pathway highlights how plastic can be a beneficial resource when used, treated and discarded responsibly and educates about the need to transition to a more circular approach to plastic use. A number of elements of this interactive exhibit are aimed at increasing public understanding and engagement, including those related to plastic in the environment, collection, sortation and recycling, sustainable design and recycled content and upcycling. Real-life examples of hard-to-recycle plastics that have been transformed into new products, as seen in this paving phase, provide inspiration for finding practical, long-term solutions to the plastic pollution issue.
To learn more information about the Plastic Pathway, visit https://www.pollutionprobe.org/plastics-pathway/
About Pollution Probe
Pollution Probe is Canada’s longest-standing environmental organization. We pursue environmental gains by working productively with governments, industry and the public, with a steadfast commitment to Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Healthy Planet.
About the Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive. An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year. Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
About GreenMantra Technologies
GREENMANTRA Technologies is a leader in advanced recycling that transforms waste plastics into value-creating specialty waxes and polymers. GREENMANRA’s products are used as performance enhancers and processing aids in roofing, asphalt roads, extruded plastic pipes, and other construction infrastructure applications with useful lifespans of 20-50+ years. In each application, GREENMANTRA improves product performance, provides a more efficient manufacturing process, and allows manufacturers to greatly increase the recycled content of their end products without sacrificing performance. GREENMANTRA annually diverts thousands of tons of waste plastic from our oceans and landfills into new applications.
About Green Infrastructure Partners
Building our Future together.
Green Infrastructure Partners is one of Canada’s largest and most diversified infrastructure companies. We derisk the most challenging parts of construction by offering vertically integrated infrastructure solutions for public and private projects of every scale. For over 50 years, GIP has been designing, delivering, and maintaining the critical infrastructure for communities across Canada. From demolition, shoring and foundations, excavation and remediation, structures, paving and the production of materials, we are a vertically integrated organization and have the unique ability to self perform all project scopes without reliance on sub-contractors. Our size, scale and work force experience allow us to take projects from materials straight through to project maintenance with over 33 asphalt plants, eight concrete plants, access to over 250 aggregate sites, 3 asphalt cement terminals in Ontario, and more than 4,000+ employees across our operations. Green is in our name because we believe in the necessity of sustainable solutions. We’re leaders in energy efficiency and we’re at the forefront of incorporating recycled and reused materials in our clients’ projects.
With our sights set on building a better tomorrow, we’re committed to long-term relationships and long-term thinking. We uphold the highest standards of safety and quality, ensuring every project provides the greatest benefits to our customers with the least disruption to our communities. The work we do shapes the future of our cities and will pave a new path for the future of our industry. We are proud to be Canadian made. Learn more about Green Infrastructure Partners at www.gipi.com .
Media Contacts
Lisa Raffaele
647-896-0743
Amy Baptista
Media Relations Coordinator, Toronto Zoo
416-848-5920
Neil Martin, Marketing and Communications Director – GIP
416-633-9670