Written by Made by Landmark - 18 Oct 2024
In recent years, recycled plastic signage, and furniture have emerged as innovative solutions for public spaces, housing developments, university campuses, and towns. These durable, eco-friendly alternatives offer practical wayfinding and recreational options, transforming outdoor environments while promoting sustainability. From sturdy waymarker posts to comfortable benches, recycled plastic products provide landscape architects, contractors, and end-users like councils and trusts with long-lasting, low-maintenance alternatives to traditional materials.
As we explore the benefits, you’ll discover why these versatile products are becoming increasingly popular in various outdoor settings.
Recycled plastic signage and furniture offer numerous advantages for outdoor spaces. Here are the top four benefits:
Signage, waymarker signs, and furniture produced from recycled plastic offer unmatched longevity in outdoor environments, making them a superior choice for park benches, trail markers, and other landscape elements. Unlike timber, which can degrade over time, recycled plastic remains impervious to rot, ensuring structures maintain their integrity for years.
Recycled plastic signage and furniture require little to no maintenance over their lifespan, making them a cost effective choice for outdoor spaces. Since they do not absorb water or decay, they don’t need repainting or staining like timber products. There are also no parts that need replacing. This translates to significant savings over time due to reduced maintenance and repair costs.
Thanks to the addition of UV inhibitors, recycled plastic signage and furniture can resist the effects of UV radiation. These inhibitors work by absorbing and dispersing harmful UV rays, which helps to protect the material from fading and discolouration. This UV stability ensures that the colours of the products remain bright and intact over the years, providing long-term savings in maintenance costs for outdoor public spaces like parks.
For landscape architects, these products offer a sustainable and durable alternative to traditional wood and metal. Unlike those materials, recycled plastic can endure harsh outdoor conditions while retaining its original design aesthetics for decades. The integrated UV protection not only preserves the appearance but also reduces the need for frequent replacements or upkeep, making it an ideal choice for projects aiming to balance aesthetics with sustainability.
Recycled plastic waymarker post and furniture offer practical fire safety advantages due to their self-extinguishing properties. These materials can stop burning on their own when a flame source is removed, thanks to flame-retardant chemicals that are released when exposed to heat. This characteristic helps meet fire safety standards in public spaces such as parks, housing developments, and university campuses by reducing the risk of small fires spreading.
While recycled plastic is not completely fireproof, its ability to self-extinguish provides an added safety layer that can help prevent minor incidents from escalating. The products will eventually melt under sustained heat or direct flames, but the initial resistance buys valuable time for evacuation and emergency response. This balance of fire resistance, while not absolute, makes recycled plastic a suitable option for areas where fire safety considerations are important, especially for councils and public authorities adhering to strict safety guidelines.
The materials’ non-cellulosic composition differentiates them from wood, which can act as fuel for fires. Instead, the inclusion of flame-retardant additives in recycled plastic helps curb the fire’s intensity, providing peace of mind for end-users without overstating the material’s limitations. This makes recycled plastic products a practical choice for public areas where safety is a priority.
The chemical stability of recycled plastic structures offer an important environmental benefit. Composed of non-reactive polymers, these materials do not leach harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, water, or air. This inherent inertness ensures that they maintain their form and do not degrade over time, thus minimising any risk of contamination to the ecosystem.
The stable molecular makeup of recycled plastic consists of long, non-reactive polymer chains that resist breaking down or releasing substances into the environment. This makes recycled plastic products ideal for use in public spaces such as parks and nature trails, where maintaining soil and water quality is essential. For councils, contractors, and landscape architects, choosing these materials supports sustainability efforts while ensuring safety in high-traffic outdoor areas without compromising ecological health.
Landscape architects, contractors, and end-users should seriously consider specifying recycled plastic products for their projects. These sustainable solutions offer unparalleled durability, UV stability, fire resistance, and eco-friendly qualities, making them ideal for a wide range of outdoor applications. By choosing recycled waymarker posts, signs, and trail furniture, you’re not only investing in long-lasting, low-maintenance products but also contributing to a greener future.
Make your project more sustainable and durable with Made by Landmark’s extensive range of recycled plastic products. Our Thurso waymarker post is made to withstand the elements while keeping outdoor spaces eco-friendly.
Written by Made by Landmark - 18 Oct 2024
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