SRP says it has diverted more than 500 tons of old utility poles from Arizona's landfills since August 2024.
The poles are made of wood, and because SRP chemically treats its poles to improve stability, they previously couldn’t be recycled by traditional means.
These poles could have either been struck by lighting, fractured from a car accident or retired naturally over the length of their life, according to Jeff Shaver, an SRP investment recovery analyst.
SRP's partnership with Blackwood Solutions made it possible to repurpose the poles.
"We were able to establish a collaboration with Blackwood Solutions, where we're able to have our retired utility poles — the poles that hold our overhead cable — they’re now being recycled and taken to New Mexico, where they're placed as fencing on farms and as road berms," Shaver said.
The poles can be reused in part because of Arizona's dry climate.
“After 30 years, they're still somewhat very viable to be used. And they don't suffer from any type of rot or mold. And that makes it so that almost 100% of our utility poles can be recycled," Shaver said.
Pole recycling is one way SRP plans to divert 95% of its industrial waste from landfills by 2035 and then reach zero waste 15 years after that.
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