Urban Trash Containers Made of Recycled Plastic Lumber

Jose Gilberto Ledur; Sayonara Guaresi; Laura Berasain Gonella; Otavio Bianchi; Ricardo Vinicius Bof de Oliveira; Leonardo Bresciani Canto; Glaucio  de Almeida Carvalho; Paulo  Rogerio De Mori; Mara  Zeni Andrade; Ademir  Jose Zattera

doi:10.18226/23185279.v1iss1p6

Authors

Jose Gilberto Ledur Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Sayonara Guaresi Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Laura Berasain Gonella Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Otavio Bianchi Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Ricardo Vinicius Bof de Oliveira Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Leonardo Bresciani Canto Federal University of Sao Carlos (UFSCar)
Glaucio de Almeida Carvalho Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Paulo Rogerio De Mori Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Mara Zeni Andrade Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.
Ademir Jose Zattera Caxias do Sul University (UCS), Francisco Getulio Vargas, 1130, Zip Code: 95070-560, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v1iss1p6

Keywords:

Plastics recycling, urban trash containers, PE urban waste, plastic lumber, EVA industrial waste

Abstract

A low-cost and easy-to-handle manufacturing procedure for urban trash containers, made of recycled plastic lumber, was developed focusing on the following aspects: materials selection, materials compounding, plastic sheet manufacturing and mechanical testing, urban trash container design and assembly, and a pilot test. The material, a composite of polyethylene (PE) urban waste, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) industrial waste and calcium carbonate, was prepared in a Drais batch mixer. The mixture was hot compression molded as rectangular-shaped sheets of 900 mm length, 600 mm width and 12 mm or 7 mm thickness. These sheets were characterized with regard to mechanical properties, microstructure and UV resistance. An urban trash container prototype was prepared from the plastic sheets and a hundred trash containers were submitted to a pilot test. All the steps, material compounding, plastic sheet processing, and trash container design and manufacturing were optimized in order to give the required physico-mechanical properties, functional characteristics and ﬁnish of the urban trash containers.