Post-consumer HDPE sheet and lumber - an alternative to plywood

What happens to milk jugs when they die? The lucky ones get reincarnated into durable High Density Polyethelene (HDPE) sheet stock for use in bathroom partitions, playgrounds, fencing or other uses requiring a material that is durable, weather-resistant, and low-maintenance.

One thing this material would work well for is the chair prototype shown in class this past Wednesday (4/14). Although the material cost is slightly more than plywood, making them out of HDPE would make them suitable for indoor/outdoor use, they could be easily cleaned and sanitized, and they would wear better against the natural wear and tear created by repeated assembly/disassembly.

Additionally, most plastics distributors provide CNC services. Since the design of this chair only requires 6 distinctive cuts, the set up charge on the CNC machine would be minimal, thus offering the option to have panels cut and shipped rta.

There are not a lot of sources for recycled HDPE in the US, but Densetec is one of the manufacturers I tracked down, and its products can be purchased from Professional Plastics.

The National Park Service's website Sustaibable Practices and Opportunities Plan has additional information and resources for recycled plastic wood products and may also contain information that is relevant to planning the outdoor garden space.