How Is Recycled Plastic Used?

Have you ever wondered where plastic goes from the recycling container? Plastic is a versatile material and after being recycled can be used in a variety of products including plastic benches, containers and construction materials.

Product Packaging

It’s not surprising that one of the most common uses of recycled plastic is the beverage bottle. Glass bottles are fragile and dangerous, and aluminum isn’t practical for larger containers so the plastic bottle is rapidly becoming the standard drink package. Modern bottles use a large percentage of recycled plastic because it’s cheaper than using all new materials. Companies also like to use recycled materials because it creates a positive image in the eyes of their customers.

In addition to bottles, plastic is recycled into a variety of other packaging. Clear plastic cases let the consumer view the product, and yet are sturdy enough to resist theft. A sandwich from the deli, a doll from a toy store or a new memory stick for your computer all are likely to be packaged in cases of recycled plastic.

Construction Materials

The fact that plastic isn’t biodegradable is one of the reasons we don’t want to see it in the landfill. However that same characteristic makes it ideal for use in outdoor applications, where its weather resistance makes it far superior to wood or metal. It’s commonly used in landscaping because after several years of exposure to sun, wind and rain it will still look nearly like new.

Recycled plastic is finding a growing market in the construction industry. It might not have the structural support of steel or concrete, but its resistance to moisture makes it perfectly suited as a moisture barrier, or for use in flooring, pipes and ducts. Plastic is used during construction in roles such as scaffold flooring, since it is weather-resistant and the roughened surface provides better traction than traditional wooden flooring.

Chairs And Tables

When you walk through a modern park, you aren’t likely to find metal and wood seating. Instead what looks like standard park benches are probably plastic benches. The faux-wood material is cheaper and more durable than real wood, making plastic benches more affordable. The benefit to using recycled plastic is that it isn’t necessary to cut down trees or mine ores for construction materials.

In addition to plastic benches you can find plastic picnic tables, fences, signs and more. City governments like using plastic because it is a low maintenance material, so they save money both on initial purchase and on long-term maintenance. Plastic is tough so is difficult to vandalize. However you won’t just find plastic furniture at the bus stop. A growing number of homeowners are using inexpensive plastic furniture in their own backyards.

Plastic has gotten a bad reputation but when it’s used for projects like plastic benches, and recycled rather than being thrown away, then it is an affordable, tough and yes even ecologically-friendly material.