Wabash National Diverts More Than 1 Billion Plastic Bottles from Landfill

Wabash National’s DuraPlate® composite sidewall panel revolutionized the trailer industry. The DuraPlate van trailer earned its place as the leading semi-trailer in North America for its lightweight, extremely durable and long-lasting performance.

What you may not know is that one of the material components used in manufacturing DuraPlate is post-consumer resin (PCR). In fact, since we began sourcing PCR from KW Plastics, Wabash National has diverted more than 1 billion plastic bottles from landfills.

KW Plastics, the largest plastics recycler in the world, has supplied Wabash Composites with PCR for more than 17 years. [Fun fact: Its sister company, Wiley Sanders Truck Lines, has been a Wabash National customer since 1992.]

PCR is recycled thermoplastic resin produced from consumer items—such as water bottles, milk jugs or detergent containers—that have been disposed of, collected in a system, diverted from a landfill then transformed into a usable product.

Wabash Composites’ manufacturing team extrudes PCR pellets and combines it with virgin resin to form the core of DuraPlate, which is used in construction of semi-trailers, truck bodies, aerodynamic devices, portable storage containers and unit load devices.

Using recycled plastic resin in our products saves non-renewable resources, offsets the amount of waste sitting in landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of PCR can be as much as 60% less than new resins.

To learn more about DuraPlate panels and products, visit wabashcomposites.com.