Field evaluation of recycled plastic lumber (RPL) pallets. Final project report

One significant component of the waste stream, discarded plastic products and packaging, continues to be a growing portion of the municipal solid waste (MSW). There has been considerable work done in characterizing the quantity and types of plastics in different waste streams, collection methods, separation, sorting as well as technologies for processing post-consumer mixed plastics. The focus in recent years has been the development of markets for recycled plastic products, which constitutes the second half of the material flow diagram cycle shown in Figure 1. One key product that holds significant promise for plastics recycling to be both technically feasible and economically viable is Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL). The contents of this report forms the second phase of a two-phase pilot project on developing specifications and standards for a product fabricated from RPL. Such standards and specifications are needed to prepare procurement guidelines for state and federal agencies interested in purchasing products made from recycled materials. The first phase focused on establishing a procedure to evaluate RPL product,s such as pallets, in a laboratory setting while this phase focuses on field evaluation of RPL pallets in service. This effort is critical in the development of new markets for RPL products. A brief summary of the findings from Phase 1 of this effort is presented next