Located in Lisle, The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized 1,700-acre outdoor museum with 4,117 species of trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world. The paths through the facility are being paved with FilterPave paving, crushed glass and beer bottles, held together by a special mixture of polyurethane in a variety of colors. Its benefits include a highly permeable surface that allows water to sink through and return to the water aquifer instead of traveling into the sewer systems. This is excellent for the environment because the glass mixture is rescued from landfills.
According to Bill Handlos, Director of Presto Products Geosystems Division, the company that manufactured the product, “another benefit of the FilterPave porous pavement is it helps reduce the ‘heat island’ effect by trapping and mitigating heat, rather than reflecting it, as a blacktop surface does.”
Emerald Site Services, LLC, a leading environmental service company in Illinois, donated the installation. John Donahue, from Emerald, says, “All ingredients for the product are mixed and then laid like cement on the path. It forms a “rice crispy”-like consistency which allows more maximum porosity.”
Surprisingly, the finished product only costs about $10 to $12 per square foot installed, which is similar to the price for brick paving. However, utilizing recycled eco-friendly material in a permeable paver form makes it a much better choice than traditional paving for both residential and commercial use.
FilterPave beer bottle paving is long lasting–exhibiting a lifespan of over 16 years in trial tests– and has an attractive crystalline glitter when finished. The Morton Arboretum chose “Amber” as its color--a great choice in a grassy area surrounded by planting beds lined with brown mulch. It looked beautiful when finished.
Winter plow blades can damage the surface of the paving; however, by plowing the surface a tad high to prevent damage, the permeability of the product allows snow to melt exceptionally quickly, thereby maintaining an ice-free surface. Long-term maintenance includes making sure large leaves and debris are swept off in the fall and winter. Outside of that, it is maintenance free.
Way to go Morton Arboretum, Presto Products, and Emerald Site Services! Showing the world how cutting edge “green” can really make a difference for your local community.
Shawna Coronado says Get Healthy! Get Green! Get Community!
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