Industrial Plastic Systems GFRP tanks deliver decades of landfill reliability

Garbage generation continues to rise, with the EPA reporting that 146.1 million tons of municipal solid waste went to landfills in 2018. Safe landfill operations depend on durable industrial solutions, including the glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) leachate tanks manufactured by Industrial Plastic Systems (IPS, Lakeland, Fla., U.S.). Integrated Environmental Technology LLC (IET, Lakeland, U.S.) CEO Randy Adkins, a landfill safety expert for more than 30 years, has seen firsthand how critical these systems are to protecting both people and the environment.

Through IET, Adkins and his team work with landfills across the U.S. to assist with environmental site management and construction. One of Adkins’ passions is educating others about how to make environmental sites safer and less hazardous to the ecosystem.

“Landfill engineers, management, operators and technicians across the country rely on IET because we have the experience to maintain these hazardous sites,” Adkins says. “Our teams are here to ensure landfills operate effectively, efficiently, and safely. What we do protects the environment and people’s lives.”

Adkins has witnessed serious challenges at landfill sites over the years. “I would see data from sites showing tank leaks, loss of landfill methane gas and all sorts of tank related problems,” he continues. “It makes your stomach turn because these are very large, cumbersome structures to fix and replace. These faulty tanks are so dangerous to everyone and everything that comes in contact with them.”

However, Adkins recalls a specific project with IPS’ composite leachate tanks, which gave him hope because they were intact and functioning as intended.

Trail Ridge landfill inspection exceeds expectations

When the city of Jacksonville’s Waste Management Trail Ridge Landfill facility required a site inspection, the results were better than expected. IPS produced and deployed multiple GFRP tanks at the Trail Ridge site in 1990, which were still meeting regulatory standards after multiple decades of exposure to harsh environmental conditions.

The tanks contain leachate, which is toxic wastewater liquid from landfills. Leachate is stored in FRP tanks prior to treatment, ensuring public and environmental safety.

“We found the quality of the actual tanks, the inspection skills, the tidiness of the inspection reports, were all really impressive,” Adkins notes. “It certainly makes my job easier when a landfill is using quality industrial solutions, such as these GFRP tanks. After all these years, they were still reliable even after facing decades of harsh environments.”

For the Trail Ridge Landfill, IPS custom manufactured and delivered a total of six vertical, flat-bottom, dome top tanks measuring 13 feet and 6 inches by 18 feet. The light weight, high strength and corrosion-resistant properties of GFRP materials made them the ideal choice for landfill applications.

Long-term use has been central to IPS’ mission, as these tanks created in the 1990s are still going strong with little to no issues more than three decades later.

Building for longevity for U.S. and international customers

Founded in 1976, IPS is approaching its 50^th year in operation. A family business, Michael Brown, owner of IPS, considers continuing the legacy a calling. “We always want to be setting a standard that not only makes people’s jobs easier, but puts the well being of the public top-of-mind,” he says.

The company continues to evolve alongside a manufacturing industry that has experienced 18% growth in half a decade in Polk County alone, according to the Central Florida Development Council.

Creating corrosion-resistant GFRP tanks, scrubbing towers, pressure pipe, structural GFRP walkways, GFRP stairwell grating and many more customized fiberglass products, IPS has been a mainstay in the Lakeland Florida manufacturing scene. Part of the steadily growing manufacturing sector of central Florida, the company has serviced both U.S. and international customers, ranging from water treatment facilities to dairy processing plants to major theme parks, and to come full circle, landfill sites. These kinds of projects have included buried FRP header systems for methane gas vacuum extraction, buried lift stations and sumps, scrubbers, fabricated GFRP ducts for waste gas collection and leachate storage tanks.

While tried-and-true methods remain valuable in fiberglass manufacturing, IPS is focused on innovation. This includes updating its technology, freshening up its workspace, bringing in new talent and expanding IPS’ digital footprint. A revamped website and new social media presence are also priorities as IPS embraces new avenues to connect with customers.

“I’m proud of what we have built,” Brown proclaims. “When I look out my window and see these giant components being loaded on a truck to arrive at that customer’s location, I know the end result in some way is going to be helping people, and that gives myself and all of our employees purpose.”