Plastics Pipe Institute Meets with U.S. Congress
PPI is the major North American association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) (Irving, Texas) joined four other plastics organizations in the Plastics Industry’s annual Fly-In to meet with members of Congress. The group called on 120 legislators and staff during meetings held September 11 – 12, 2018. PPI’s President, Tony Radoszewski, CAE, discussed the importance of fair and open competition along with the use of recycled plastics to make plastic pipe. PPI is the major North American association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry.
“Our industry’s priorities revolve around the safety of our workers, the safe use of our products and the sustainable management of materials,” Radoszewski stated. “Together we continue to work on responsible environmental stewardship throughout the plastics supply chain and life-cycle. This includes advances in the use the use of recycled materials to manufacture pipe.”
The plastics group had 135 professionals participate in the meetings that discussed the key issues industry faces. For plastic pipe, Radoszewski asserted that fair and open competition for materials should be required for any federally-funded infrastructure project.
“Many local jurisdictions have old specifications that do not allow plastic pipe to compete, creating virtual monopolies and driving up costs,” he told legislators. “In a time of limited resources, requiring projects that spend federal dollars to allow competition can double the positive impact of federal support, saving local taxpayers money.”
The importance of reducing plastic waste and increasing the use of recycled plastic was also discussed.
“Recycling and energy conversion are important end-of-life options for plastic materials,” Radoszewski said. “The nation is facing a critical situation in terms of recycling capacity and end-markets for recycled material. Additional infrastructure is necessary to improve the efficiency of U.S. recycling and increase the amount of material being recycled in the U.S. The Fly-In made it possible to explain how the plastics pipe industry is currently using 25 percent of post-consumer HDPE bottles and turning them into pipe used in underground infrastructure. This was an eye opener for many of the people we met. We explained how our industry takes a product that has a 60-day shelf life and converts it to a product – pipe – that has a 100-year service life. This is something everyone related to and clearly demonstrated that the plastics pipe industry can be part of the solution for protecting the environment.”
Additional information can be found at the Plastics Pipe Institute’s website: www.plasticpipe.org.
PPI President Tony Radoszewski, CAE, (left) meets with Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during the annual Plastics Industry Fly-In.
Plastics industry representatives including Plastics Pipe Institute’s President Tony Radoszewski (third from right) meet with U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36) (second from right) who sponsored the free and open competition bill in the House, one of the topics the group discussed.
Some of the participants in the annual Plastics Industry Fly-In, Washington, D.C.
About PPI:
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) is the major North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry and is dedicated to promoting plastic as the materials of choice for pipe and conduit applications. PPI is the premier technical, engineering and industry knowledge resource publishing data for use in the development and design of plastic pipe and conduit systems. Additionally, PPI collaborates with industry organizations that set standards for manufacturing practices and installation methods.
