Railway sleepers made of plastic bags

Railway sleepers made from recycled waste, such as plastic bags, computer cases and bumper scrap, could soon be appearing on UK railway tracks.

UK manufacturers Micron, who make sleepers from waste polystyrene and polyethylene, have already approached UK rail track operator Network Rail with the aim of forming a partnership.

Polystyrene is commonly used in disposable coffee cups, and polyethylene is more likely to be seen hanging from trees in the form of carrier bags.

But the longevity of this plastic means that railway sleepers made of the material can potentially last for centuries.

This compares to a few decades for sleepers made from wood or concrete.

Wood and concrete also have other disadvantages such as concrete sleepers being very heavy and cracking easily. Wooden sleepers also require a lot of maintenance and chemical treatments to prevent them from rotting.

In both cases, the sleepers have a lifetime of up to a few decades.

As strong as concrete

Stress tests have demonstrated that the plastic sleepers are as strong as concrete sleepers.

With the costs of maintaining the railway and underground systems spiralling, plastic sleepers offer an affordable alternative, and they could help Network Rail hit its target of using 23 per cent recycled material by 2012.

London Underground has considered using plastic sleepers in the past, but with old technologies, fire safety was an issue.

However, this is no longer the case, as the new sleepers benefit from a high-tech fire retardant created to protect ammunition boxes for the US army.

Plastic sleepers have already been tested and approved in India, where Micron has a production plant.

Two US plants capable of producing more than 20,000 a month also have a production agreement with the company.

This new technology was described in a report written by Patrick Walter in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.

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