Cumbria County Council has been using plastic kerbs for more than 10 years. Other local authorities are now set to follow, with trials taking place in Hampshire and Wokingham.
Durakerb use a polymer blend containing 88% recycled material. Each kerb contains the equivalent of 182 recycled plastic bottles and weighs just 6kg. It is claimed that each kerb saves around 30kg of CO2, and is also "lighter than stone or concrete, therefore easier to handle, and does not generate harmful crystalline silica dust when cut."
Councillor Rob Humby, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for environment and transport, supports the trial. He said: "We’re committed to clear action, embedding carbon reduction measures in services across the county council. This innovative use of recycled plastic kerbing, which is durable but much lighter than the concrete equivalent, results in 40% less carbon during manufacture."
Wokingham borough councillor Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport, said: "We are looking for ways to make our services greener and this solution allows us to find an effective use of recycled materials while carrying out important highway maintenance across our network." "Exploring further use of recycled products like these kerbstones are the type of changes we are looking into as we aim to be a carbon neutral borough by 2030," added Cllr Gregor Murray, executive member for climate emergency.
We support the UK government’s drive towards a net-zero carbon emissions economy. Over the last decade, we have saved 12 million kilogrammes of CO2 through the installation of over 400,000 Durakerb units. Read more at @MySpecNews >> https://t.co/FQqflh1wuI pic.twitter.com/fL8L9an0hM— Durakerb (@DurakerbUK) November 18, 2019
A DuraKerb HB2 weighs less than 6kg compared to 67kg for a concrete equivalent. As a result of its lightweight nature, it can be installed 4 times faster making it incredibly cost-effective. Read more here: https://t.co/F45Cy7wGNR pic.twitter.com/cJL3Xhj4PZ— Durakerb (@DurakerbUK) November 1, 2019