November 19, 2021

Is Poly Furniture Eco-Friendly?

The short answer is yes! DuraWeather Poly® is 100% Eco-Friendly and sustainable. When you purchase from DuraWeather®, you can take enjoyment from the fact that you are doing your part to help clean the environment. According to the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), these are some of the benefits poly wood furniture brings to the community:

  • Saves money for local governments and other purchasers by lowering long-term maintenance costs.
  • Creates additional business opportunities.
  • Diverts plastic waste from landfills.
  • Reduces wood waste, especially treated wood waste.
  • Helps local governments meet their goal of reducing landfill disposal.
-https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/plastics/recycled/lumber
Where Does Poly Wood (HDPE) Come From?
Hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles are recovered from post-consumed goods and landfills. These plastics go through a rigorous sorting process. Only the best plastics are selected and cleaned. Once they are refined into small plastic pellets, they are melted and combined with all-weather additives to protect against fading. The pellets are turned into a molten mixture, and color dye is added. Finally, the mixture is extruded (not injected!) into lumber boards. When poly lumber is injected air pockets are commonly found inside the lumber itself which increases the risk of breakage as well as makes the furniture lighter and less wind resilient. Poly lumber that is extruded has a much higher strength to density ratio and better wind resilience. Approximately 210,000,000 (if you can fathom this amount) plastic bottles are recovered annually and given life as 100% post-consumed recycled commercial grade high density polyethylene (HDPE). 
 
Can HDPE Furniture Be Recycled?
 
DuraWeather Poly® is 100% recyclable and sustainable. HDPE can be placed into your curbside container, or you may have to call for a special pickup. AZoCleantech, the leading online publication for the Clean Technology community, states:
"HDPE is accepted at most recycling centers in the world, as it is one of the easiest plastic polymers to recycle."
-https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=255
However, one of the best things about owing HDPE poly wood furniture is the fact that it comes with a 20 Year Warranty! Our furniture is built to last. If for some reason you are no longer in need of the furniture, we recommend gifting it to a friend or neighbor. 
Summary
HDPE is perfect for those who are looking to reduce the number of carbon emissions they create in the world, lower their overall energy consumption and protect the environment. It is of upmost importance that we monitor trees and their regrowth. By manufacturing quality outdoor furniture from recycled plastic we are saving our trees and wildlife to improve sustainability, while also removing the burden of plastics in landfills
Written by James Hardwick