Natural Colour Composite Masonry Pavers Made from Recycled Rubber and Plastics.

When VAST Enterprises wanted to offer the construction industry a ‘green’ alternative to conventional paving systems, it developed a composite masonry paver system made entirely of recycled tires and plastic bottles. In order to overcome the extreme 'blackness' of the tires, however, an effective colouring method was needed to provide the pavers with the rich, natural earth tones of competitive materials. VAST consulted with engineers at custom compounder RTP Company who formulated a polymeric-based colour masterbatch for the pavers.

Available in three standard colours, plus additional special order colours, the pavers are protected against colour fading and property degradation by a proprietary blend of stabilisers in the masterbatch. "Our product is designed for a long-lasting, high quality installation," explained Troy Achterkirch, Vice President, Engineering and Operations for VAST. "RTP Company's colour masterbatches are vital to that aspect of our product. They always pass our strict colour match process and that makes for a very consistent end product." 

VAST's composite masonry pavers have proven to be an especially popular alternative for those seeking LEED certification for green building projects. In addition to providing a green alternative to the industry, VAST reduces the labour required to install traditional clay or concrete bricks. "The advantage of our composite masonry system is that it's one-third the weight of other materials, making installation significantly quicker and less strenuous," said Achterkirch. "The weight savings also allows our product to be easily transported to construction sites."

VAST's composite masonry pavers are shipped with underlying grids, manufactured in the same composite of recycled materials as the blocks. These grids are either 30 or 40 cm square depending on the size of the pavers chosen. During installation, the grids allow paved surfaces to be put down quickly and permit easy positive alignment further reducing labor costs. 

"RTP Company has been wonderful to work with," added Achterkirch. "Their engineering department provided us with solutions that helped us to overcome the seemingly never-ending hurdles of new product development and get our product on the market quickly."