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Drainage division of Plastics Pipe Institute rebrands with a focus on sustainability

May 27, 2019  By Drainage Contractor


Proudly displaying the new PPI Drainage Division sign are

The Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI) announced that its Corrugated Plastic Pipe Association (CPPA) Division has become the Drainage Division of PPI.

In addition to the new name announcement, the division introduced its new website at the association’s annual meeting held in Naples, FL, from May 6 to 8, 2019. PPI is the North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry.

Tony Radoszewski, president of PPI, stated the rebranding of drainage division was undertaken because of the dynamic nature of this group of PPI members.

“For decades, the division has focused on drainage whether it be to increase crop yield, provide a path for roadway runoff, construct underground detention basins or long-life culverts. The new division name was chosen to better distinguish the markets served by its members, which remain the gravity flow stormwater, culvert, and drainage markets. And to further expand its leadership position in the industry, the Drainage Division has also greatly expanded its website content while making it easier to use,” stated Radoszewski in a media release.

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The updated website contains specific areas devoted to culverts and highways, storm sewers, stormwater management plus agricultural and turf drainage.

“Our members spent hundreds of hours reviewing the technical and application information in our database,” stated Daniel Currence, P.E. director of engineering for the drainage division of PPI, “in order to place it in the appropriate areas to make it easy to find and access.”

Another key component of the new website is the sustainability area. “PPI, our division and our industry feel that it is extremely important to push for more use of post-consumer recycled resin,” Currence stated. “It is a fact that our industry currently processes 25 percent of all post-consumer high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles and converts them into products used in underground infrastructure.”

The processed post-consumer HDPE bottles are reused and become almost half of the material used in HDPE pipe. HDPE pipe can be made using more than 40 percent recycled HDPE resin that was originally used in consumer HDPE bottles, a significant reuse value.

The Sustainability page also states that plastic pipe systems offer “a low carbon footprint, light weight and fuel-efficient shipping, safe inert raw materials, long service life, and recyclability,” compared to metal or concrete alternatives.

PPI has been consistent in its advocacy for more uses of drainage pipe and encouraging pipe manufacturers to make pipe from recycled plastic to reduce plastic waste.


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