What is recycled plastic furniture?

Did you know that every citizen in the UK produces around 76kg (167lbs) of plastic waste per year? Further, recycling one plastic bottle saves enough energy to light up a 60-watt bulb for 3-hours. 42,000 such recycled plastic bottles can make roughly 7.7 durable and eco-friendly picnic tables.

Plastic waste is notorious for clogging up landfills, taking 400 to 1000 years to break down, thus negatively affecting the environment. When not filling up landfills, discarded plastic strains the capacity of waste-management stations, taking a toll on our natural resources. Herein lays the importance of recycling plastic waste for environmental protection, saving the earth’s reserves and creating new economic ventures.

One such creative use of discarded plastic is recycled plastic furniture. Lightweight yet long lasting, these are low maintenance and resistant to the weather elements, thus proving suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage.

Recycled plastic furniture in the UK is fast gaining popularity over the more traditional wooden furniture pieces as these are available in a variety of shapes and colours, besides being rot and termite-free. Recycled plastic neither swells nor splinters, that could pose a potential handling threat. All these features make recycled plastic furniture a preferred choice among the environmentally conscious citizens of the country.

Is plastic a good material for furniture?

You would want your furniture pieces to last long and stand up strong to daily wear-and-tear. Furniture that withstands every kind of weather for little to no maintenance wins brownie points. Further, you’d want these furniture pieces to be affordable, high on both style and comfort quotient, and lightweight enough to handle and ship around the globe, isn’t it?

Recycled plastic is such a material that is mouldable into attractive shapes, comes in pretty colours, and makes elegant recycled garden furniture that you would love to use in your living room too.

How do you make plastic furniture?

The process involves:

• Collecting recyclable plastic from households, institutions and businesses,
• Sorting and categorising different plastic types,
• Washing to get rid of dirt and other impurities,
• Shredding to break down the material into uniform pieces,
• Extruding the shredded plastic to form thermoplastic pellets.

Finally, manufacturers will heat these pellets until molten and pour them into moulds to form recycled plastic furniture pieces.

What Are The Benefits of Recycled Plastic Furniture?

Furniture made of recycled plastic abounds in benefits. Since plastic is mouldable in various shapes and colours, recycled plastic furniture features interesting shapes and colours that make for aesthetic decor besides providing sufficient comfort for regular use.

These neither stain nor crack or splinter, and hence require minimal maintenance. Waterproof and UV-resistant raw material makes recycled plastic garden furniture withstand harsh sun and torrential rain alike.

Manufacturers produce the pieces without pillaging the earth’s natural resources like trees, metal or fuel, making these eco-friendly products. Moreover, these are further recyclable, thus reducing their carbon footprint even more.

Whether you use them indoors or outdoors, recycled plastic furniture lasts a long time and offers excellent value in terms of style and comfort. These are super lightweight too, so handling them is very easy.

All these factors together ensure that recycled plastic furniture offers the best value for money over an extended period.

Is recycled plastic furniture sustainable?

Approximately a single ton of recycled plastic saves 23m3 landfill space, 3114l oil and 20786 mega joules of electricity. Recycling plastic also leads to employment opportunities and enhanced economic activities.

When plastic is recycled to make furniture, the process prevents plastic waste from reaching landfills or polluting water bodies. Typically, furniture pieces are made to last, and in most cases, recycled plastic continues to carry the inherent recyclable property. This makes further recycling or repurposing damaged furniture pieces a reality. This continuous cycle of eco-conscious events makes recycled plastic furniture a very sustainable option.

Moreover, manufacturers do not have to cut down trees or mine metals extensively to source the raw material for their products, thus maintaining the ecological balance on earth. All these factors together make recycled plastic furniture a sustainable option.

Can you make furniture out of recycled plastic?

Yes. Recycled plastic or plastic lumber can make attractive furniture pieces that score equally high on form and functionality. PET and HDPE are two of the most recycled types of plastic in the UK that make high-quality recycled plastic furniture.

Tamstar is a well-regarded establishment offering exclusive yet affordable recycled plastic furniture in the UK that requires minimal maintenance throughout the lifespan. Our range of products includes all-weather recycled plastic garden furniture like benches, seats, picnic benches and table sets.

Why choose recycled plastic furniture?

Recycled plastic furniture, besides diverting discarded plastic away from landfills, offers countless other reasons for you to choose it over furniture made of conventional materials like wood or metal.

Unlike wooden or metal furniture, plastic furniture does not require maintenance. These are waterproof, which means you can wipe down the pieces to clean them without worrying about periodical varnishing or polishing. Leave them out in the open without the fear of the material swelling up, cracking, splintering or rusting. Overall, recycled plastic furniture has a maintenance-free long lifespan during which it can weather all kinds of climatic conditions and natural wear and tear from regular usage.

How long do recycled plastic benches last?

Plastic is non-porous, making it resistant to water. UV additives added during the plastic recycling process make the recycled furniture withstand the strong rays of the sun. As a result, furniture made of plastic lumber, particularly recycled plastic garden furniture in the UK, is built to last at least two decades or more, even if it is a plastic bench lodged at the park, weathering rain and shine.

What are the benefits of using recycled plastic furniture? Benefits include:

• Minimal environmental impact
• Cutting down trees is not required to manufacture recycled plastic furniture.
• Using only recyclable plastic ensures that the final products do not contain harmful compounds and are non-toxic.
• Such material can usually be recycled again to create another set of innovative products at the end of the lifecycle.
• These are lightweight, making handling and moving the furniture easy.
• Recycled garden furniture in the UK is waterproof and can resist UV rays.
• Further, such furniture pieces do not attract insects or bacteria and are mould-free.

These inherent features of recycled plastic furniture make them a very durable option.