Innovative Rail Concepts of Conshohocken told the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee this week how making railroad ties from old carpet and waste plastic will not only save landfill space, but millions of trees.

IRC made the presentation as part of the Committee’s February Environmental Issues Form.

Michael McNamara, company president, said 16 million railroad ties are replaced each year in the United States and 90 percent of them are made from oak timbers.

IRC, and a manufacturing partner from Texas, have perfected a process for making railroad ties by recycling old carpet and plastic that meets the stringent quality and durability standards of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association.

The new tie retains 85 percent of its performance characteristics over 20 years, versus just 35 percent for a traditional oak tie. That means the new ties will have to be replaced less often, meaning rail lines will be closed less frequently for costly maintenance.

Just one production line producing about 260,000 recycled content railroad ties will use about 29.4 million pounds of waste plastic and 19.7 million pounds of waste carpet. Over 3 million hardwood trees a year are used to make railroad ties.

IRC is presently looking to locate a manufacturing facility in Altoona that will have the capacity to produce about 750,000 recycled railroad ties a year.

Innovative Rail Concepts can be contacted by sending email to: mmac@innovativerail.com or by calling 610-788-2267.

The next Environmental Issues Forum is scheduled for April 3 when the Committee will hear from Karen McCalpin of PA CleanWays about the State Forest Beautification Program, dumping surveys and the group’s work with the Delaware Estuary Program.

The Joint Conservation Committee is chaired by Rep. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango).

2/17/2006