Construction plastic waste pilot program launches in Canada

Light House, an organization focused on advancing regenerative and circular practices in the built environment, has launched a new initiative with the aim to divert and upcycle plastic waste from approximately 10 Metro Vancouver construction sites.

The pilot program, called the Construction Plastics Initiative, is running from now until February 2026 and is actively seeking projects to bring on board. 

The objective of the initiative is to demonstrate the feasibility and financial viability of a circular economic model for plastic waste generated on construction sites.

The intention is to collect, separate, measure and process plastics from construction sites to determine the amount and types of plastic waste being generated in British Columbia’s construction sector and to demonstrate circular economic solutions to divert and repurpose the plastic into new products.

Project participants will be able to showcase their leadership by pioneering plastic diversion as well as using the locally manufactured building products in their projects.

“Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive studies in North America quantifying the volume of construction plastic waste directed to landfills. Studies from Europe suggest approximately 80 per cent of plastic waste from on-site construction activities consists of clean packaging materials, which are readily divertible from landfills. This pilot project aims to provide valuable insights into the extent of construction plastic pollution in North America and to identify opportunities for circular innovation in managing construction plastics,” said Gil Yaron, managing director, Circular Innovation, Light House.

“In Canada right now, virtually all of the plastic generated on these construction sites is ending up in landfill or being buried on site. There’s a better solution – and we’re testing it out right now through our Construction Plastics Initiative. We’re bringing partners together through the construction plastic value chain, developing a management framework to collect, monitor and track the flow of materials, and we’re exploring the business case and sale of derivative building products back into the construction sector.”

Collected plastics from all projects will be processed by Ocean Park Recycling prior to being recycled into a reusable plastic pellet, which will be integrated into the manufacturing of a range of new building products.

The pilot program will also help developers and general contractors reduce material use and the embodied carbon associated with their projects. Through this initiative, Light House is reducing the environmental impact of construction while also preparing the industry for the federal government’s upcoming plastics registry reporting requirements in 2026.

A qualified site monitor will be provided to the participating construction project. The site monitor will work with the general contractor and site supervisor to identify the types of plastics to be collected, schedule collections based on the construction timeline, provide size-appropriate collection bins, train site crews on proper source separation practices, monitor bins for contamination, and assist with the delivery and removal of collection bins, as required.

To learn more about the Construction Plastics Initiative, click here.