Recycled Artificial Turf to Become Glass-Fibre Composite Railway Sleepers

Industry report date: 29 October 2026

Triton Group, TenCate and iSustain have announced a partnership aimed at converting recovered plastic from end-of-life artificial turf into composite railway sleepers. The proposed route combines recycled polyethylene with glass-fibre reinforcement, linking waste management to a durable infrastructure product.

According to the announcement reported by JEC, TenCate will collect retired turf and remove sand and rubber infill. Triton will further process the remaining plastic into feedstock for its composite railway tie manufacturing. The companies describe a potential processing rate of up to 159 tonnes per month, or roughly 9,500 tonnes over five years if the planned capacity is achieved.

Processing of the recovered turf is expected to begin in April 2027 after installation of a dedicated line. The partners estimate that the resulting material could support production of more than 300,000 sleepers. These are forward-looking capacity estimates rather than completed production volumes.

For GRP and composite manufacturers, the initiative highlights the growing role of recycled polymer matrices and glass-fibre reinforcement in civil infrastructure applications.

Source: JEC industry report, 29 October 2026. Triton Ties product information.