durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, September 15, 2022 | 28 CADET GRADS COMMUNITY After two years of virtual training during the pandemic, more than 40 cadets from Oshawa and the surrounding area participated in-person in the graduation ceremony for their 12-day Cadet Activity Program in August. The two-week cadet program includes fitness training, marksmanship, Canadian Armed Forces familiarization, three nights in the field and more. The cadets, ages 13 and 14, earned marksmanship and fitness badges to wear on their uniforms when they returned to their local units. Capt. Shannon Pecore photos Durham Region is an innovative corporation, always looking for ways to bring climate action forward, with meaningful policies and projects. We set out to explore the use of recycled materials to help create new and stronger roads, which has the potential to be both innovative and environmentally conscious. We are beginning Phase 2 of a construction project on Regional Road 18 in Clarington, between Concession Road 5 and the bridge south of Kendal. Portions of the roadway will be reconstructed using recycled materials. This 3.6-kilometre stretch of Regional Road 18 requires reconstruction and strengthening. One-time Federal Gas Tax funding, earmarked by Regional Council for transformative capital projects, provided a unique opportunity for the Region to try something new -- upgrading this road using waste from your recycling bin. Split into two phases, this project reconstructed the north half of this road segment (Phase 1) using conventional techniques, while the southern half (Phase 2) will pilot the use of recycled materials. Construction for Phase 2 is set begin later this summer. When work begins, recycled glass will be incorporated into the granular base and recycled plastics will be incorporated in the new asphalt. An estimated six tonnes of mixed plastic and 400 tonnes of recycled glass from the Region's Material Recovery Facility will be used; along with 4.5 tonnes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres -- made from recycled plastic. Depending on the results of this pilot project, we have the potential to mix into the roads an estimated 300 tonnes of mixed plastic, 240 tonnes of PET plastic, and recycled glass processed at Durham's Material Recovery Facility through the Region's annual road program. ELAINE BAXTER-TRAHAIR ON USING PLASTIC AND GLASS IN PILOT PROJECT OPINION ELAINE BAXTER-TRAHAIR Column This would reduce the amount of waste stored in Regional facilities and decrease the amount of material that is mined and trucked for road construction. The use of plastics also has the potential to significantly increase the strength, durability and the overall life cycle of the pavement in our road network. This project aligns with the Region's Long-term Waste Management Plan's guiding principle: to apply innovative approaches to regional waste streams and to turn them into resources that form a circular economy. It also supports our Corporate Climate Action Plan. Elaine Baxter-Trahair is the Chief Administrative Officer for The Regional Municipality of Durham. YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD LEARN MORE AT DURHAMREGION.COM