Railroad Ties Made from Recycled Plastic

Recycled plastic ties coming to some U.S. railroads

M1A1 70-ton tank crossing a bridge at Camp Mackall in North Carolina made from Axion's recycled plastics material.(Credit: Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army/Dawn Elizabeth Pandoliano)

February 2, 2011 - The U.S. railroad is about to get a minor makeover.

Axion International has won a $15 million contract to make railroad ties made from recycled plastic, the company announced yesterday.

The railroad ties will specifically be made of Recycled Structural Composite (RSC), the signature recycled plastic composite developed by Axion in conjunction with Rutgers University. RSC is a thermoplastic composite produced from 100 percent recycled consumer plastics (such as milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles) and industrial plastic waste.

Axion's deal to provide replacement railroad ties over the next three years is with an unnamed company purported to be "one of the largest railroads in North America," according to a recent SEC filing by the company. {continued}