Does Recycling of Plastic Material Really Work?
How long does UV resistant recycled plastic lumber last?
UV resistant recycled plastic lumber, particularly HDPE, is exceptionally durable and designed to last significantly longer than traditional wood products. For instance, premium recycled HDPE plastic lumber from Bedford Technologies comes with a 50-year warranty, demonstrating its long-term resilience. This material is reprocessed from common household items like milk jugs and detergent bottles, incorporating colorants and UV stabilizers to prevent rotting, splintering, and the need for annual maintenance, outlasting wood by 5 to 10 times. The recycling process involves sorting, cleaning, and grinding HDPE materials, which are then extruded into plastic boards that maintain their integrity for decades, and can even be re-recycled at the end of their very long life.
The answer is ‘YES’ it certainly works.
One of the most recycled plastic materials is HDPE. This is the material that laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs, opaque vitamin bottles and many more common household containers are made from. The HDPE is a FDA and NSF approved resin, and is the go to material for cutting boards, margarine containers, food storage containers, and many of your milky colored drinking cups.
So, what happens to these items after you put them into your recycle bin?
Your local recycling center sorts through your clean recyclables and segregates the materials by the type of plastic. HDPE has the recycle code of #2, and this can be found on the bottom of many of your plastic items. The other plastic items are sorted out based on the recycle number and type of material. This allows for better and more efficient reprocessing of these resins into new and re-purposed items.
The reprocessing of plastic scrap or discarded post consumer products generated a large quantity of plastic material. The HDPE recycling market is a fast growing area of the recycled plastic sector. The other common plastic that is recycled is PET, which has the code of #1, and this is the very clear water bottles and soda bottle material.
Once the discarded containers and other HDPE scraps are collected, they are sent to a recycle plant. This is where the containers are cleaned, sent to the grinder, and converted into small pieces that can be used in the manufacture of new products. This reprocessing of post consumer goods into a usable plastic lumber is the first step in the recycling process. Much later, after the very long life of the HDPE recycled lumber is over, it can be again reprocessed into another recycled HDPE product, maybe even another piece of HDPE plastic lumber. The cycle of using an already produced plastic product, and then reusing, recycling or re-purposing this material is as environmentally responsible as any consumer can be. This ‘closed loop’ recycling eliminates the use of other natural resources, and cuts the impact on our planet.
UV resistant recycled plastic lumber offers numerous benefits, including its resistance to rot and splintering, and it requires no annual painting, sealing, or regular maintenance beyond occasional washing. This makes it a highly durable and low-upkeep material. Popular items made from recycled HDPE plastic lumber are diverse and include outdoor decks, outdoor furniture, docks for lakes and marinas, trellises, walkways, playground components, parking bumpers, and sign posts. These applications demonstrate how recycled plastic lumber consistently outperforms traditional wood products.
What are the benefits and popular uses of UV resistant recycled plastic lumber?
Plastic lumber does not rot, splinter, require paint or sealants annually, nor any other regular maintenance. Perhaps a semi-regular washing down is all that would be needed to have this material continue to look like new.
What are popular items that are made from this recycled HDPE plastic lumber? The limit to uses is only limited by your imagination. Some of the most common HDPE plastic lumber products are: outdoor decks, outdoor furniture, docks for lakes and marinas, trellises, walkways, playground components, parking bumpers, sign posts and many more. All of these items outperform the lumber products previous used for these applications.
Call us for more information on the available sizes and colors of recycles HDPE plastic lumber, 866-832-9315.
