Light House, an organization focused on advancing regenerative and circular practices in the built environment, has released results from the Construction Plastics Initiative (CPI), a 14-month pilot that tracked plastics across eight active construction sites in Metro Vancouver and successfully demonstrated how these materials can be recovered and reintegrated into new building materials under real-world conditions. The pilot marks one of the first efforts in North America to follow construction plastics from job sites through collection, sorting, processing, and manufacturing.
Launched by Light House in 2024, CPI was created to address a major gap in how plastic waste is understood and managed in construction, renovation, and demolition (CRD) activities. While most attention has focused on consumer packaging and single-use plastics, construction-related plastics have remained largely overlooked. Through the pilot, materials from eight commercial construction sites were collected, tracked, sorted, processed, and reintegrated into manufacturing, demonstrating how construction plastics can be recovered and reused in new building materials.
Delivered in partnership with contractors including Aecon, EllisDon, and Scott Construction, the study followed plastics across major projects including the Holdom Overpass Project in Burnaby, PNE Amphitheatre, Steveston Community Centre and Library, Cloverly School, Amazon and Microsoft tenant improvement projects, and Lynn Fripps Elementary School. Together, these projects provided a real-world dataset and one of the clearest pictures to date of how construction plastics are generated, handled, and what can be recovered in practice.
鈥淲e started this as a pilot to better understand construction plastics, but what it reveals is a much larger opportunity for the industry. There is a consistent and recoverable stream of material being generated across projects, and this work begins to show how that could be captured and kept in use at a much broader scale,鈥� said Gil Yaron, Managing Director of Circular Innovation at Light House.
Pilot Findings
Across participating sites, more than 38,000 kilograms of plastic were collected. Of the 34,268 kilograms sent for sorting, approximately 77 per cent was successfully classified for recycling. The strongest results were observed in clean, packaging-related materials such as films and wraps. Approximately 23 per cent could not be processed due to contamination, handling conditions, or system limitations, despite being technically recyclable, showing that much of what is lost today is recoverable with the right systems in place.
Plastics generated during construction are often dominated by packaging materials. These materials are typically clean, consistent, and produced in high volumes, making them among the most readily recoverable plastics on construction sites. The findings show that a significant share of construction plastics, particularly packaging-related materials, can be recovered under the right conditions.
From 91仓库 to New Building Materials
Building on these findings, the pilot also demonstrated how these materials can be put back into use. Plastics recovered through CPI were processed into recycled pellets and supplied to Plascon Plastics, where they were used to manufacture components for InfinaNet, a structural system developed by Infina Technologies developed by Vancouver-based Infina Technologies, a venture supported through Light House鈥檚 Circular Construction Accelerator (CCA). InfinaNet reduces the amount of concrete required in floor slabs for multi-unit residential projects by up to 30 per cent, illustrating how recovered materials can support more efficient and lower-carbon construction.
The Government of Canada, through PacifiCan, has invested over $1 million in CCA to accelerate the growth of green building companies in B.C. 鈥淐ompanies like Infina Technologies are driving sustainable growth in B.C.鈥檚 construction sector,鈥� said the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada. 鈥淭his initiative demonstrates how construction plastics鈥攍ong treated as waste鈥攃an be recovered and turned into valuable new building materials. PacifiCan is investing in practical, made-in鈥態.C. solutions that reduce emissions, strengthen supply chains, and build a strong Canadian economy.鈥�
This represents an early step toward treating construction plastics not as waste, but as part of a more circular material system. Across Canada, more than 7 million tonnes of plastic enter the market annually. Only 26.5 per cent is diverted and just 5.3 per cent is recycled, with essentially no recovery from the construction sector.
Scale of Opportunity
Plastic waste from construction sites accounts for more than 30 percent of all plastic waste generated in Canada. Most of this material continues to move through a linear system in which products are manufactured, used briefly, and discarded. This positions construction plastics as a significant and largely untapped opportunity to recover materials that are already being generated at scale.
鈥淎cross multiple active construction sites, what we saw is that a significant share of plastic isn鈥檛 inherently waste. It is material that can be recovered when the right systems are in place,鈥� added Yaron. 鈥淲hat this shows is that construction plastics do not have to be part of a linear waste stream. They can be recovered and brought back into the circular value chain. That opens up a much larger opportunity to rethink how materials are used across the construction sector.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see the results and insights emerging from this truly unique pilot program,鈥� said Daniel Molnar, BC Regional Environmental Manager, EllisDon. This initiative represents a meaningful step forward in how we think about material use, diversion, and the long-term impact of our projects, and we鈥檙e incredibly proud to have contributed as a supporting partner to a broader vision that challenges conventional practices and pushes the industry toward more thoughtful, responsible approaches. This pilot really demonstrates what鈥檚 possible when the construction industry rethinks material waste at its source.
Pathway to Scale
While the pilot shows what is achievable under the right conditions, scaling this approach across the industry will require consistent recovery pathways that can capture, separate, and process materials across construction sites. Without these systems in place, a significant share of recyclable plastics will continue to be lost.
The report identifies what is needed to support that shift, including improved tracking through the Federal Plastics Registry, expanded producer responsibility for construction-related plastics and packaging, more localized consolidation and receiving hubs, and policy tools such as variable tipping fees, landfill bans on recoverable plastics, and incentives for manufacturers using post-consumer recycled resin.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada and through the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia and Alacrity Canada through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
鈥淏y having governments, industry, and civil society working together to tackle plastic waste and pollution, we are forging strong partnerships to protect the environment, address market challenges, spur innovation and investment, and create economic opportunities. Projects such as the Construction Plastics Initiative provide valuable insight and practical solutions to reduce plastic waste and pollution,鈥� said the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature.
鈥淭hese results show significant progress in recovering and regenerating plastics, ultimately diverting from the landfill,鈥� said Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks. “I鈥檓 encouraged and proud to support initiatives like this one鈥攚here gaps are identified, a challenge is seen as an opportunity, and innovative ideas take flight.”