Recycled Plastic Lumber – Does it Help the Environment?

What Is Plastic  Lumber 

Plastic  lumber  is a wonderful raw material, it is made entirely of recycled or virgin plastic. For Instance, Unwanted plastic bottles, furniture, plant pots, you name it. If its made of plastic, it can be recycled and used again. Not only that, it is said to be more environmentally friendly than its counterparts, this is because there is less work involved in producing it. If it is processed correctly then it will uphold the same stability in its molecular structure as virgin plastic does, making it robust, flexible and resistant. This makes recycled plastic timber ideal for the manufacturing of outdoor and garden products. Therefore recycled plastic upholds and maintains the ideal of what recycling is all about.

The History Of Recycled Plastic  Lumber 

Well, for manufacturing purposes it is still a relatively new raw material, the potential widespread use of it is limitless. Not only is it immune to degradation but it can be repeatedly reused, which is a major advantage in the building industry.

The Composition Of Recycled Plastic  Lumber 

The  lumber  is made up of a mixture of unwanted and/or virgin plastic. Once made into a powder or pellets, they are heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture them becomes very squidgy. Numerous other agents can be added such as stabilizers, colourings and lubricants to create the final composition to further increase the standard that is produced.

So Does The  Lumber  help the environment?

Yes of course it does:

• It keeps virgin and unwanted plastic out of landfill where it does not rot.
• The process of manufacturing it does not use as much energy as it would to make the virgin plastic.
• Recycled plastic can be made to imitate a large number of other materials such as wood and it does the job perfectly.
• The  lumber  can be molded to form tables, chairs, benches, birdboxes, compost tumblers, fences, raised beds for the garden and a whole number of other products can be made from it time and time again.
• The colourisation of recycled plastic  lumber  otherwise know as recycled plastic wood is determined in the manufacturing process, skipping out the need to paint it. It is available in a huge variety of colours.