Recycled-Plastic Lumber Standards: From Waste Plastics to Markets for Plastic Lumber Bridges

This paper presents a case study that illustrates the integral link between standards development work and benefits to the environment. Specifically, diversion of large amounts of post-consumer waste plastics from landfills to useful products involves both development of new technologies and standards that enable the adoption of these products by the marketplace. The paper highlights activities that have been undertaken over the past several years to develop industry-consensus, performance-based standards that enable the market acceptance of recycled-plastic lumber (RPL) in structural applications. The results from these activities have three major benefits to the environment: (1) Reduction of municipal solid wastes being landfilled, (2) providing an alternative to pressure-treated lumber that leaches toxic chemicals into waterfront environments, and (3) substitution of wood in certain specific applications with an environmentally friendly alternative such as RPL. 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND